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President Joe Biden pictured on Sunday after attending a campaign rally. Alamy Stock Photo

Starmer heading to Nato summit in Washington as Biden seeks to prove he is fit for re-election

Biden is hosting amid fierce speculation about his ability to meet the demands of the presidency for four more years.

US PRESIDENT JOE Biden is welcoming global leaders to a Nato summit in Washington today, amid mounting speculation about his fitness to run again for the White House.

Heads of state gathering to shore up transatlantic support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia are confronting the prospect of the return of Nato sceptic Donald Trump as Biden tries to save his re-election campaign, which has been in a tailspin following a disastrous debate performance.

Among the global leaders attending is Keir Starmer, who became UK prime minister on Friday.

However, Starmer’s schedule means he will not join the Nato summit until the main working sessions begin on Wednesday, as Parliament reconvenes today following the election.

Starmer said he would be flying to Washington tonight to demonstrate his “unshakeable” support for the alliance, and Biden will use the opportunity to host Starmer in the White House.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington this evening, saying he would call for more aid for the war effort during the meeting.

“We are doing and will always do everything to make the Russian terrorist lose,” added Zelenskyy, saying he would be asking allies for more air defence systems, fighter jets, and additional security guarantees.

secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-speaks-as-irene-fellin-nato-secretary-general-special-representative-left-listens-at-the-nato-summits-women-peace-and-security-reception-tuesday-july-9-2024 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks as Irene Fellin, NATO secretary general special representative, left, listens at the NATO Summit's Women, Peace and Security Reception Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Meanwhile, the US president said his work at the summit, where Nato is celebrating 75 years, would be a good way to judge his continued ability to do the job.

He points to his work rallying Nato members in its stiff response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a prime example of his steady leadership and among the reasons he deserves another four years in the White House.

“I expanded Nato. I solidified Nato. I made sure that we’re in a position where we have a coalition of… nations around the world to deal with China, with Russia, with everything that’s going on in the world. We’re making real progress.”

Dr Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician, issued his first comment since the debate after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled to address questions about the president’s health at yesterday’s news briefing.

Jean-Pierre said Biden has extensive yearly physical exams.

“A couple times a week,” Biden does a “verbal check-in with his doctor while he’s exercising,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that he had a check-in yesterday.

There has been confusion about whether Biden saw his doctor about his cold after the presidential debate on 27 June.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said he intends to bring up North Macedonia over its backtracking under a new nationalist government on an agreement over its name.

“This is an issue which I do intend to raise,” Mitsotakis said at the Council on Foreign Relations, calling the name issue “simply non-negotiable.”

“It is not constructive. It does not help the European path of North Macedonia. It’s an unnecessary complexity at a time when we should be looking for areas of convergence,” he said.

The White House initially said there was no medical exam, but it later said there was a “short verbal check-in” and it was determined that no exam was needed.

“He has seen a neurologist three times,” said Jean-Pierre. “Not more than that.”

She stressed that all three meetings with a neurologist were tied to the president’s annual physical exams.

prime-minister-sir-keir-starmer-and-his-wife-victoria-board-a-plane-at-stansted-airport-in-essex-as-they-head-to-washington-dc-to-attend-a-nato-summit-picture-date-tuesday-july-9-2024 Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria board a plane at Stansted Airport in Essex as they head to Washington DC. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

She cited the report of the president’s most recent physical, issued in February, which said, “an extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring” in that there were no findings consistent with a stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis.

The letter added that no tremors or “motor weakness” were detected.

Written by Biden’s physician, Dr O’Connor, the letter added that Biden “demonstrates excellent fine motor dexterity.”

Visitor logs show that Dr Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who has conducted research into Parkinson’s, went to the White House eight times between July 2023 and March.

Jean-Pierre declined to confirm the doctor’s name or explain why he was going to the White House.

She told reporters this was due to security reasons and noted that the White House medical unit treats more people than just the president.

“There are thousands of military personnel who come on to this White House,” Jean-Pierre said.

“Many of them get the care from the White House medical unit and so we need to be super careful.”

Later on Monday, Dr O’Connor released a letter with the permission of both Biden and Dr Cannard who he confirmed had been the neurologist who evaluated the president at each of his three physicals since he took office.

But Dr O’Connor said most of Dr Cannard’s visits to the White House were pursuant to his role as a specialist attached to the White House Medical Unit, where he treated patients for a wide array of neurological issues over a dozen years.

According to visitor logs, Dr Cannard made similar trips to the White House during the Obama administration and during the Trump administration – which did not publish visitor logs – according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Dr Cannard did have one visit with Biden’s personal physician this January in the White House Residence clinic, weeks before the president’s physical in February.

Dr O’Connor repeated that the findings of that physical did not detect signs of any neurological disorder.

“President Mr Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical,” Dr O’Connor said in his letter.

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jul 9th 2024, 8:39 AM

    Mr. BIDEN needs to take the patriotic decision to vacate the campaign and use the months ahead to back an alternative candidate.
    He would continue to be a respected elder statesman after his Presidency, contrasting with the gutter politics of DT.
    Having read Fire and Fury, and Proof of Collusion, any risk of handing the Presidency back to him must be eliminated.

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    Jul 9th 2024, 8:54 AM

    I was lucky enough to have two grand parents that lived well into thier 90s and I can honestly say at 81 they where more then capable,

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    Jul 9th 2024, 9:17 AM

    @John John: ah lad you must have serious mammy issues to worship the lying treacherous sex offender fraudster orange thing, or be on the payroll of the Bible belt money that’s been flowing into ireland for decades

    39
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    Mute Anthony Curran
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    Jul 9th 2024, 9:26 AM

    No doubt they’ll all issue more condemnation of the Russian attacks on a Ukraine children’s hospital. Which of course is the correct thing to do. But why oh why do they stay silent while Israel obliterates Gaza? Where are the sanctions? Why do they continue to send Israel billions worth of arms that are being used to slaughter tens of thousands of innocent children? Hypocrites the lot of them. Free Palestine. F… Is rael.

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    Mute TheGood Feign
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    Jul 9th 2024, 9:42 AM

    @Anthony Curran: the difference in the language used is stark, when isr attacks a hosp it’s supported, scolded slightly but supported in its defence of its territory and is allowed to increase its attacks in the WB (yes the WB, which is all but gone now), when Rus attacks a hosp it’s a “reminder” of Russ “brutality”. I don’t support Russ but the language being used by the leaders of the West, they must think our populations are complete numbskulls not to see through it.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 10:03 AM

    @TheGood Feign: They are right when they condemn Russian brutality: that is not the problem. The problem is that they show too little regard for Palestinians.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 9th 2024, 10:17 AM

    @Brendan O’Brien: The problem I have is the countries condemning Russian attacks on Ukraine are the same countries supplying the Weapons, bombs and bullets Israel is using to attack Gaza. Remember when Biden called for and got 20 billion worth of military aid sent to Israel?. He’s still supplying the Israel aggressor to this day.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 10:19 AM

    @Ger Whelan: Yes, but this does not detract in any way from the fact that it is right to support Ukraine. The two conflicts are separate, and conflating them serves nobody’s interests except Russia’s.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 9th 2024, 10:32 AM

    @Brendan O’Brien: So because he’s right to supply Ukraine we shall ignore the deaths of thousands of Palestinians? In less than a year Israel has killed more innocent Palestinians than Russia has Ukrainian civil has in over 2 years. That’s a fact. But yeah let’s not speak out. Stopping Russia is the only issue isn’t it

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    Mute Paul Leech
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    Jul 9th 2024, 10:42 AM

    @Ger Whelan: Now I’m sure Brendan can stand up for himself … but before you make a dick of yourself attacking the lad, try reading what he posted first.

    “They are right when they condemn Russian brutality: that is not the problem. The problem is that they show too little regard for Palestinians.”

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 10:47 AM

    @Paul Leech: Thank you. Ger doesn’t understand that ‘Yes’ indicates agreement, it seems.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 9th 2024, 10:58 AM

    @Paul Leech: Oh yes he said “they show too little regard for Palestinians”. Well that’s great. He calls for billions worth of weapons and such to be sent to Ukraine to defend it. But more regard that’s what the people of Palestine need. He also says Russia needs to be stopped or they’ll go after the rest of Europe in other posts. Correct me if I’m wrong has Russia attacked anyone other than Ukraine? But Israel has attacked other nations other than Gaza. Which of the 2 nations is the one who’s actively planning invading another country and increasing the risk of a bigger conflict. It’s not Russia is it. Russia does need to end its invasion of Ukraine but the bigger risk to world peace at the moment is Israel. That’s a fact.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 11:03 AM

    @Ger Whelan: I’ve been a very strong and outspoken critic of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but obviously there is no pleasing you.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 9th 2024, 11:27 AM

    @Brendan O’Brien: But you’ll praise Joe Biden for arming Ukraine and ignore him for arming Israel. You just said they are two different conflicts and conflating them serves Russia’s interest didn’t you?. So it seems your content at what’s happening in Gaza once Russia doesn’t gain any advantage. Or do your words mean something else?. Because we’re serving Israel’s interest on a daily basis are we not?

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 11:36 AM

    @Ger Whelan: I don’t ‘ignore him for arming Israel’. I condemn him for facilitating Israel’s genocide.

    ‘it seems your content at what’s happening in Gaza once Russia doesn’t gain any advantage’ is utter BS and shows that you can’t think logically.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 9th 2024, 11:44 AM

    @Brendan O’Brien: it’s not me who said “conflating them serves Russia’s only Russia’s interest”. Please tell us what you meant by that? Because to me it looks like you’re saying we shouldn’t question and call on to stop biden sending billions in military aid to Israel because it might affect his ability to send billions military aid to Ukraine which gives Russia an advantage. Seems to me Brendan that is what you’re implying.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 11:53 AM

    @Ger Whelan: I meant that the fact that the US is wrong about Israel/Palestine does not imply that it is wrong about everything (notably Russia/Ukraine). It has nothing to do with the respective deployment of resources: it is a matter of right and wrong.

    How would cutting off the billions going to Israel reduce the US’s ability to support Ukraine financially? If anything would increase it. You are all mixed up.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 9th 2024, 12:07 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: it had everything to do with the deployment of resources though Brendan. How would cutting off billions in Israel affect Ukraine financially? Well remember when Biden couldn’t get his 60 Billion for Ukraine signed off in Congress in 2023? Well in order to help finally get that 60 billion to Ukraine he combined it in his package of 20 billion support for Israel and billion in support of others. Knowing that American Jewish politicians would be more likely to back the package and they of course they eventually did. So Ukraine wouldn’t have gotten its 60 billion aid if biden did support Israel with military aid. I’m confident you knew that because it wasn’t a secret was it. So no military aid for Israel meant no military aid for Ukraine and no I’m not “mixed up”.

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    Mute Darth O'Leary
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    Jul 9th 2024, 12:08 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: So you must support military aid being sent to arm the poor Palestinians then? Beef up their military and provide training and logistics? They and the Ukrainians deserve the military support of Ireland, I’m sure you’ll agree

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 12:22 PM

    @Darth O’Leary: That would be fair (although ‘military support of Ireland’ would be problematic), but it would be vastly preferable for the US to cease its unconditional backing of Israel’s genocide.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 9th 2024, 12:42 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: I’m sure the people of Gaza see it as fair.

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    Mute Mark Dunne
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    Jul 9th 2024, 7:45 AM

    Zzzźzzz

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Jul 9th 2024, 5:14 PM

    NATO is a warmongering organisation, unelected, and driven by the arms industry. Any person or nation with a moral backbone should stay as far away from it as possible!

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jul 9th 2024, 7:39 PM

    @Padraig O’Brien: but that terrorist in the kremlin and his war machine is a great bloke altogether,

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    Mute Dave Grant
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    Jul 9th 2024, 3:37 PM

    He doing the goodest he can do during Christmas, ho, ho happy 4th of July!

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    Mute Phillip Smyth
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    Jul 9th 2024, 2:03 PM

    Stamerbiden great combination .

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