Latest news with #WalterReed
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Fetterman says he's taking part in more Senate duties after questions over his health were ‘weaponized'
Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said his decision to be open about his mental health struggles has been "weaponized" against him, leading him to start attending more votes and hearings, despite feeling many are a waste of time. In an interview with the New York Times published Saturday, the 55-year-old first-term Democratic senator said that he felt unfairly shamed into performing Senate duties he views as 'performative.' He explained that his increased presence on Capitol Hill is a response to parts of the media deeming his frequent absences as a sign of mental unfitness, rather than his choice to prioritize time at home. 'My doctor warned years ago: After it's public that you are getting help for depression, people will weaponize that,' Fetterman told the outlet. 'Simple things are turned. That's exactly what happened.' 'It shook me that people are willing to weaponize that I got help,' he added. Fetterman survived a major stroke during his 2022 campaign, and checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in February 2023 to be treated for depression. He initially reemerged as a vocal advocate for mental health and a strong supporter of Israel after the October 2023 attacks, but by mid-2024, he began withdrawing from key Senate responsibilities. Concerns over his mental health resurfaced after a letter from his former chief of staff, warning he was spiraling, was made public, raising fresh questions about his performance and fitness for office. Since being discharged from Walter Reed, Fetterman's missed more votes than nearly every other senator, trailing only those with significant personal or political obligations like campaigning or caregiving. Fetterman has been attending recent hearings to demonstrate his mental capability, but he says he finds little enjoyment or interest in the routine responsibilities of serving in the Senate. He once described being separated from his family as 'the worst part of the job,' and explained that family time is more of a priority. 'The votes I missed were overwhelmingly procedural; they're even called 'bed check' votes,' Fetterman said, referring to routine Monday night votes in the Senate. 'I had to make a decision: getting here and sticking my thumb in the door for three seconds for a procedural vote or spend Monday night as a dad-daughter date.' Fetterman also admitted to skipping Thursday night votes to spend time with his father, who recently had a heart attack. 'I would go visit my dad instead of a throwaway vote,' he said. Fetterman also doesn't like attending hearings and has avoided hosting town halls because he doesn't want to interact with protesters. He said he left the caucus group chat because he became overwhelmed by notifications and found the discussions trivial. The senator does have friends in Congress who try to engage him. 'John is hanging in,' Senator Peter Welch told the NYT. 'John is hanging in. It's fair to say this is pretty stressful. This is a hard thing.' Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer recently urged fellow Democrats to offer more support to Fetterman and met with him to check in amid renewed scrutiny. Senator Amy Klobuchar also met with Fetterman last week to discuss his priorities on the Agriculture Committee. 'I enjoy working with him and appreciate his perspectives,' she said. Despite his open frustrations with his job duties, Fetterman says he remains committed to serving out his term as he was elected to do until 2028.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump questions why Biden's cancer wasn't caught sooner
President Trump on Monday questioned why former President Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis was not caught and disclosed sooner. 'I think it's very sad, actually. I'm surprised that it wasn't, you know, the public wasn't notified a long time ago,' Trump said of his predecessor's diagnosis, which was publicized on Sunday. Trump called a prostate test 'very standard' as part of a medical exam for men. A test that screens for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood is often used to detect prostate cancer, as is a rectal exam. Those screenings are not typically recommended for men 70 and older, however. 'I think that if you take a look, it's the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine. There was nothing wrong with him…that's being proven to be a sad situation,' Trump said. The president offered praise for his own White House medical team, as well as the doctors at Walter Reed, where presidents typically go for their annual physical exams. 'The other thing is you have to say, why did it take so long? When you — this takes a long time, it could take years to get to this level of danger,' Trump added. 'So look, it's a very, very sad situation, and I feel very badly about it. And I think people should try and find out what happened.' A Biden spokesperson confirmed Sunday that the former president has an aggressive form of prostate cancer that was discovered Friday 'after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,' adding that it has spread to his bones. As news of his cancer diagnosis spread, Biden's allies and rivals posted well wishes and tributes across social media. 'Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,' Biden posted Monday morning on X. The former president, who is 82, has been in the spotlight in recent weeks amid new reporting about his mental sharpness while in office and his decision to run for reelection before ultimately dropping out of the race last July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Trump: Someone is not ‘telling the facts' about Biden's cancer diagnosis
'Someone is not telling the facts' about Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis, Donald Trump has claimed. The US president suggested Mr Biden or his medical team had sought to cover up his illness and cognitive decline during his time in office, calling it a 'very sad situation'. Mr Biden's office revealed on Sunday that the former president had been diagnosed with an 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer which had metastasised to the bone. Asked about his predecessor's diagnosis, Mr Trump said: 'I think it's very sad, actually. I'm surprised that the public wasn't notified a long time ago because to get to stage nine, that's a long time.' Mr Biden's cancer – which is a grade nine on the Gleason scale, marking it as aggressive – is said to have been diagnosed on Friday after doctors discovered a nodule on his prostate the week before. Speaking to reporters on Monday evening, Mr Trump expressed scepticism that the cancer would not have been detected on Mr Biden's annual physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Maryland. 'Why did it take so long? I mean, this takes a long time, it can take years to get to this level of danger,' he said. 'So it's a very, very sad situation. I feel very badly about it, and I think people should try and find out what happened. 'Walter Reed… is really good. They're some of the best doctors I've ever seen. I don't even know if they were involved, but a doctor was involved in each case. 'Maybe it was the same doctor, and somebody is not telling the facts. That's a big problem.' Although some doctors have expressed surprise that Mr Biden's cancer was not detected earlier, others suggested that it may have developed rapidly since his last physical examination. Prof Karol Sikora, a former director of the World Health Organisation Cancer programme, told The Telegraph Mr Biden's late diagnosis was 'very unusual'. He said it could have been 'a cover-up by his doctors' that had been hidden for months or years, but was more likely to be 'a rapid-growing cancer'. Mr Biden's last physical exam at Walter Reed took place in February last year and was overseen by his personal physician, Dr Kevin O'Connor, who declared the then-president 'fit for duty' and said there were 'no new concerns' about his health. It comes as Mr Biden faces renewed questions about his mental acuity in office following the publication of a new book, Original Sin, which reported he had forgotten the names of close aides whom he had known for decades. 'This is dangerous for our country' On Monday, Mr Trump raised questions about why Mr Biden's doctors had not raised concerns about his 'cognitive ability'. 'And I think the doctor said he's just fine, and it's turned out that's not so,' he continued. 'It's very dangerous. Look, this is no longer politically correct. This is dangerous for our country. 'Look at the mess we're in. You're talking about all these questions on Ukraine and Russia – that would have never happened.' Mr Biden never received a cognitive test during his time in office, despite calls from critics for him to submit to one during the 2024 election campaign. He told an interviewer in July that his role as president meant he had 'a cognitive test every single day', amid calls from Democrats to drop his re-election bid following a faltering debate performance. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters Mr Trump was not concerned about a declining standard of care at Walter Reed, calling its medical team 'phenomenal'. On Monday, JD Vance, the vice president, raised concerns that the public had been kept in the dark about Mr Biden's health struggles during his time in the White House. 'Why didn't the American people have more accurate information about what he was actually dealing with?' he asked. . @VP JD Vance on former President Biden's cancer diagnosis: "We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job...I don't think that he was in good enough health. In some ways, I blame him less than I blame the people around him." — CSPAN (@cspan) May 19, 2025 Mr Biden released a statement on social media on Monday, which read: 'Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learnt that we are strongest in the broken places. 'Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.'
The Hill
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Trump questions why Biden's cancer wasn't caught sooner
President Trump on Monday questioned why former President Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis was not caught and disclosed sooner. 'I think it's very sad, actually. I'm surprised that it wasn't, you know, the public wasn't notified a long time ago,' Trump said of his predecessor's diagnosis, which was publicized on Sunday. Trump called a prostate test 'very standard' as part of a medical exam for men. A test that screens for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood is often used to detect prostate cancer, as is a rectal exam. Those screenings are not typically recommended for men 70 and older, however. 'I think that if you take a look, it's the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine. There was nothing wrong with him…that's being proven to be a sad situation,' Trump said. The president offered praise for his own White House medical team, as well as the doctors at Walter Reed, where presidents typically go for their annual physical exams. 'The other thing is you have to say, why did it take so long? When you — this takes a long time, it could take years to get to this level of danger,' Trump added. 'So look, it's a very, very sad situation, and I feel very badly about it. And I think people should try and find out what happened.' A Biden spokesperson confirmed Sunday that the former president has an aggressive form of prostate cancer that was discovered Friday 'after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,' adding that it has spread to his bones. As news of his cancer diagnosis spread, Biden's allies and rivals posted well wishes and tributes across social media. 'Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,' Biden posted Monday morning on X. The former president, who is 82, has been in the spotlight in recent weeks amid new reporting about his mental sharpness while in office and his decision to run for reelection before ultimately dropping out of the race last July.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Joe Biden's health scare after 'small nodule' found on his prostate during medical exam
Former President Joe Biden, 82, has a 'small nodule' on his prostate that needs 'further evaluation', according to multiple reports. It was found during 'a routine physical exam,' a spokesperson for Biden told ABC News. Biden left office as the oldest serving president in U.S. history – and it's common for those of the his age to experience prostate issues. Questions over the former president's age, health and fitness for such an important office ultimately led him to ditch his reelection campaign. When Biden was still president in February 2024, his doctor declared him 'fit to serve' following a routine physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This story is breaking and will be updated
