President Biden Withdraws: Doctors Weigh In on His Health

After President Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 race, multiple doctors shared their opinions with Fox News Digital about his perceived health status based on his live speech.

President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race has sparked speculation about his health, with multiple doctors sharing their observations after his Wednesday night address to the nation.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, noted that Biden seemed to be reading from a teleprompter, making it difficult to assess his medical fitness. However, Siegel expressed concern about Biden's apparent "lack of emotion" during the speech.

President Biden Withdraws: Doctors Weigh In on His Health

"It is a very emotional time for him and he isn't showing it," Siegel told Fox News Digital. "He seems to lack conviction."

Dr. Robert Lufkin, a California-based physician and medical school professor at UCLA and USC, also weighed in on Biden's health. While acknowledging that he has never examined Biden, Lufkin observed that the president has shown signs of "cognitive deterioration" in previous appearances.

President Biden Withdraws: Doctors Weigh In on His Health

"The findings in his previous presentations could have a variety of causes, including sleep deprivation, sedation, metabolic abnormalities or even neurodegenerative diseases," Lufkin said.

Lufkin noted that Biden's Wednesday night speech was delivered from a teleprompter, which is "less demanding than the more spontaneous Q&A debate format." He said that the absence of "confused rambling" and other cognitive issues could be due to the presentation format.

President Biden Withdraws: Doctors Weigh In on His Health

Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Tennessee, agreed that Biden's speech was "clearly better" than previous appearances. However, he also noted that the president struggled at times with reading from the teleprompter.

"Reading simple passages do become difficult in patients with dementia," Murray said, expressing a professional opinion in general about such cases.

President Biden Withdraws: Doctors Weigh In on His Health

Murray speculated that the stress of the presidential campaign may have exacerbated Biden's cognitive performance. "I suspect the stress of trying to run for office and be president was leading to even worse daily cognitive performance," he said.

The White House press office has stated that "health was not a factor" in Biden's decision to withdraw from the race. However, the President's recent health issues, including a COVID-19 infection and ongoing concerns about his cognitive health, have fueled speculation about his fitness for office.

President Biden Withdraws: Doctors Weigh In on His Health

In conclusion, while it is difficult to make definitive judgments based on a single televised speech, the observations of multiple doctors suggest that President Biden's health and cognitive fitness may be a matter of ongoing concern.