The White House physician who once declared President Joe Biden to be in excellent health has long-standing personal and professional ties to the Biden family — a connection that’s drawing renewed attention amid growing speculation surrounding the president’s recent cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as the 82-year-old’s official physician during his time in the White House, has consistently maintained over the years that Biden is mentally fit, despite growing concerns about his cognitive abilities.
Following Biden’s recent prostate cancer diagnosis, O’Connor’s deep-rooted relationship with the Biden family has once again come under scrutiny. According to The New York Post O’Connor, a former Army surgeon whom Biden fondly calls “Doc,” has provided medical care to both the president and other family members for over ten years. His loyalty to the family extends beyond healthcare — he also has past business connections with Biden’s younger brother, Jim Biden. The two collaborated on a rural hospital initiative.
As part of that venture, O’Connor engaged in business discussions with Jim Biden for a rural hospital chain that ultimately went bankrupt and later faced fraud allegations brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department.
O’Connor began working closely with Biden during his time as vice president. After over 20 years of military service, O’Connor joined the White House Medical Unit under President George W. Bush. Although he initially planned to work briefly with then-Vice President Biden, his tenure ended up lasting the entire administration.
“That didn’t work out and, so, I ended up doing the whole eight years with him,” O’Connor recalled in a rare 2023 interview with the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Though he retired when Biden and President Obama left office, O’Connor continued as Biden’s personal physician. When Biden assumed the presidency, O’Connor was brought back as the top White House doctor.
He also played a critical role in the family’s discussions surrounding Beau Biden’s battle with brain cancer in 2015. According to Biden’s memoir Promise Me, Dad, O’Connor advised Beau on treatment options and his outlook.
Critics have long raised concerns about O’Connor’s closeness to the president. Just last month, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) told The Post, “he’s part of the Biden family.”
“He would do or say anything to cover up and protect that family, regardless of what it meant professionally for him,” Jackson added.
President Donald Trump also weighed in following the news of Biden’s diagnosis, questioning the credibility of O’Connor’s earlier assessments. He referenced the clean bill of health Biden received in his February 2024 physical — only months before the president’s performance in their first debate raised questions about his condition.
“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.”
The Post adds that comments came after Biden’s office revealed Sunday that the president had been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. The illness was discovered following a recent medical exam, during which doctors identified a “small nodule” on his prostate. According to his spokesperson, the cancer has since metastasized to his bones.
