The aftermath of former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis has entered its third day, bringing renewed attention to his longstanding relationship with the physician who treats him — a man who is also a trusted family confidant.
Detractors argue that the personal connection between Biden and Dr. Kevin O’Connor, his primary physician during Biden’s presidency, may have compromised objective assessments of the president’s health — particularly during periods when concerns about Biden’s stamina and mental sharpness were mounting.
Dr. O’Connor, a former U.S. Army surgeon and longtime Biden ally nicknamed “Doc,” also had prior business ties with James Biden, the president’s brother, who received a controversial pardon. The two were reportedly involved in a venture capital project to develop a rural hospital.
That project eventually collapsed amid accusations of fraud brought forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Following more than 20 years of military service, O’Connor joined the White House Medical Unit and initially served under President George W. Bush. When Bush left office, the Obama administration chose to retain O’Connor, assigning him to oversee then–Vice President Biden’s medical needs.
“He retired from public life in 2017 but remained by Biden’s side, returning to the White House in 2021 as the top White House doctor after Biden was elected president.”
Their bond appears to have deepened over time, with O’Connor reportedly advising Biden and his family on treatment possibilities for Beau Biden’s brain cancer, as reported by the NY Post.
Questions are now being raised by critics about the timing of O’Connor’s disclosure regarding Biden’s advanced prostate cancer. Some GOP lawmakers are expressing skepticism over why such a slow-developing illness wasn’t discovered or revealed sooner.
“He’s part of the Biden family,” Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) told the Post last month. “He would do or say anything to cover up and protect that family, regardless of what it meant professionally for him.”
President Trump, meanwhile, has honed in on O’Connor’s closeness with the Biden clan, asking Monday how the doctor was able to declare Biden “fit for duty” in February 2024, just four months before his career-ending debate.
“If it’s the same doctor that said there’s nothing wrong there, and that’s being proven to be a very sad situation,” Trump said Monday. “I think someone is going to have to speak to his doctor.”
“It takes a long time to get to that situation … to get to a stage nine. I think that if you take a look, it’s the same doctor that said that Joe was cognitively fine. There was nothing wrong with him,” he added.
