Parkinson’s Doctor Tells NBC Biden Has ‘Classic Features’ of Disease: ‘I Could Have Diagnosed Him from Across the Mall’

Visiting Michigan, Texas and Nevada over the next couple of days. A lot on his plate. >> Kelly O’Donnell, leading us off. We appreciate. To talk about the eight visits, I am joined by Tom — he is a board-certified neurologist. He sees patients with parkinson’s all the time. I want to be completely transparent, you have never examined President Biden, to my knowledge. You have never spoke to him. We will use what we have so far, which is what we have seen in the president’s interviews and information coming out of the White House. My question to you as someone who is a neurologist, what you have seen from the present over the last two years, in the debate, the last two interviews. The way he speaks, the way he walks, have you noticed anything that give you red flags ? >> yes, I see in 20 times in clinics. He has classic signs of — degeneration. Some degeneration of the — he is also overcoming stuttering though. >> this is not a speech discrepancy, it is different from a — dysfunction — where you pick a similar question or talk around an issue. Monotone voice. >> what you mean about rigidity? >> the arm swings, standing up robotically. You know when he — notice when he turns, it is — that is one of the hallmarks of parkinson’s, rigidity and slow movement. He has the hallmark, especially with the low voice he said is a call.
>> - is a small, monotone voice like us. It is a hallmark of parkinson’s. I could diagnose him from across the lawn. >> we just have him up there on the screen. What about the movement? Some people have pointed out the way he walks sometimes is not very fast. Small steps. Is that something common in people battling a disease like parkinson’s? >> he has the hallmarks shuffling gait, loss of arm swings from the rigidity. When we walk him we have a nice cadence. And and block turning, he pivoted around his foot. If you say hey, President Biden, he would not go like this. >> I also know it’s very hard to diagnose parkinson’s, isn’t it? >> one of the easier movement disorders diagnose, actually. And I am a Democrat. [ inaudible ] this guy is not a hard case. >> I have had relatives that have gone through issued neurologically. I’ve heard that parkinson’s is sometimes not easy to diagnose. >> early on, with hallucinations — or cognitive problems, that could be alzheimer’s.
>> - what you saw manifesting, the hallmark motor symptoms, slow movements, rigidity, hypothermia. If a med student did not pick parkinson’s on a test — >> I know you have no idea what happened in the White House. A neurologist coming eight times in eight months, does that tell you anything? I know you’re just sort of speculating. Does that tell you anything? >> I don’t know if there the best of friends, but that’s very specific. If he has a movement disorder
>> - most people would be men boarded out for any type of movement disorder at a young age. If you had — early-onset parkinson’s, dystonia, tremors
>> - >> med boarded out? What does that mean? >> if you have fevers, you can usually not be in the military. >> you don’t necessarily — they are not saying this, it says there are thousands of military members that go to the White House for health reasons. You are not buying that is a military person? >> that would be very odd to see a — movement case at the White House. Especially a younger guard. There are not many people who are young who have movement disorder that would be in the military. >> a lot of people have called for — what does that mean? >> that is the key. Word finding retrieval does not necessarily mean you don’t know what you want to say. I cannot come my — comment on his ability to — he is parkinson’s, that is a fact. Show me the mri, show me he does not. He definitely has it. The problem is, when you look at this situation, you can’t say, I know for a fact. Because he did not retrieve the words, he did not know what he was going to say. That is why you have to take the for our neurological tests, the hallmark test for cognitive performance. >> what you do in this test? >> they may have you say — every word in a minute that starts with an f. I may say something and have you recall it three minutes later. [ inaudible ] we can tell if you have — >> four hours long? >> yes. Is a full day. We tell people, bring a snack. [ inaudible ] these are tests that are — >> there is no way to lie to the test? >> no, way. It will come out in the Wash. For example, if I went to an accountant and said what is 100- 7, a degenerative patient, — is going to get that right. In a four hour test, it will come out. >> you say you are Democrat, you are a doctor, you sound like you’re frustrated with what the White House is saying. Why? >> I am an American before anything. [ inaudible ] with North Korea can’t keep the lights on the say, it was a faulty power thing. I hate that kind of stuff. They have four years, — this was a — they had four years to find 350 Americans — one person that can take the place. Here we are, the day before school trying to do the homework and replace a guy who has a neurodegenerative disease. >> I know you have never examined preside