The White House has confirmed that President Biden is treating his sleep apnea by using a CPAP device, used by those who suffer from the common but potentially serious sleep disorder.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates was forced to provide an explanation after reporters spotted very noticeable mask lines on his face while speaking with him on the South Lawn Wednesday.
“Since 2008, the president has disclosed his history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports,” Bates told several media outlets. “He used a CPAP machine last night, which is common for people with that history.”
The Mayo Clinic describes sleep apnea as “a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.”
It is a fairly common ailment, with the National Sleep Foundation reporting that it likely affects as much as 20% of the population.
Still, an 80-year-old man who appears as frail as President Biden does having his breathing stop is nerve-wracking. Especially as he gears up for another presidential election that, should he win, would have him in office until he is closer to 90 than 80.
The White House announced that President Biden is using a device for his sleep apnea. An official said the president has been using a CPAP machine in order to help improve his breathing during sleep. pic.twitter.com/cvbTBxORjG
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) June 28, 2023
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Biden Using Breathing Machine (CPAP)
The casual observer might be wondering – If sleep apnea is a common disorder and a CPAP machine is used to treat it, what is the big deal about President Biden using one?
Former White House physician under Barack Obama and Donald Trump, Ronny Jackson, tweeted that use of the CPAP machine had not previously been revealed by the administration.
“It’s now been revealed that Biden is using a CPAP machine when he sleeps. Why hasn’t Biden’s medical team previously disclosed this?” he asked.”If they’re hiding this, what else are they hiding?”
It’s now been revealed that Biden is using a CPAP machine when he sleeps. WHY hasn’t Biden’s medical team previously disclosed this? If they’re hiding this, WHAT ELSE ARE THEY HIDING? This is the LEAST TRANSPARENT White House in history!!
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) June 29, 2023
It could simply be that the breathing machine’s use is so common that they didn’t view it as worthy of mention.
But the media certainly seems to disagree, with almost all major outlets reporting on the news that President Biden is using a CPAP machine. Newsworthy, likely because it had never been revealed, despite Bates’ statement.
President Biden needed to improve his sleep “quality” so he began using a CPAP machine. WH only confirms this after face marks raise questions. https://t.co/gbmmYwVqWr
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) June 29, 2023
Previous Sleep Apnea Disclosure
Considering sleep apnea is a potentially serious condition, it seems like a wasted opportunity for President Biden and his team to be forthright with the information that he is using a CPAP.
Especially when you consider some estimates indicate as many as 50% of users stop using a CPAP machine for various reasons.
The President could inspire through leadership, letting the American people know it’s important to use the device. Instead, they kept it quiet. Or tried to. Why?
Back to Bates’ statement – it is true that in 2008 Joe Biden’s doctors revealed the sleep apnea diagnosis. However, it was mentioned in conjunction with atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat, that he had experienced over the course of several years.
“Doctors said the (atrial fibrillation) probably is linked to Biden’s reoccurring problem of sleep apnea, in which people suffer from pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping,” Politico reported at the time.
So, why do his medical records 15 years later not mention the sleep apnea or the CPAP machine?
A CPAP mask? 2008: Politico reported Biden suffers from the “reoccurring problem of sleep apnea, in which people suffer from pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping.”https://t.co/RWx0pySWeD
Biden’s 2023 health report makes no mention of the condition.… https://t.co/33lQdlrwFx
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) June 28, 2023
White House physician Kevin O’Connor in February provided a medical memo that claimed President Biden is “fit for duty.”
“(The President) remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” the memo reads, a statement that anyone with a functioning pair of eyes and ears knows is false.
Here is Biden during the same conversation with reporters, thick lines on his face, claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin is losing the war in “Iraq.”
Biden: Putin “is clearly losing the war in Iraq” pic.twitter.com/c8FdGzrAtG
— Jack Poso (@JackPosobiec) June 28, 2023
Got that? Putin is “clearly” losing the war in a country that he’s not fighting in. Ukraine, where Russia is fighting, is nearly 2,200 miles away.
One would hope that a better night’s sleep would help with Biden’s mental acuity, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. If this is an example of a healthy and “vigorous” President it’ll be something to see when he actually starts to deteriorate.
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