# President Biden's Stroke/Aneurysm \[in 1988- edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 15, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412 "2021-11-15T21:47:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/1 "2021-11-15T21:47:57Z")
(I assume the fact President Biden had a stroke a while back is common knowledge. So therefore I don’t need a cite. That having been said…) Now I have to be careful how I ask this question. But is there any way Mr. Biden’s stroke could be affecting him now? Because his attention does seem to wander sometimes… I had an uncle (now deceased) who had a mild stroke a while ago. He seemed to be back to normal after it. But really can anyone make a truly full recovery after such an event? Because we’re dealing with the brain. And brain cells don’t regrow. True, dendrites (the leaves and branches, if the brain cells are the trees) do regrow. But never the cells themselves. And some brain damage is reversible. I do have to tell you, I have been a diehard Democrat literally all my life. (When I was eight, some kid in my class got a letter from then-President Ford. And I thought to myself, the lousy Republican. I’m serious.) But I do strongly support whatever Democrat happens to be in office at the time. Also I do have to tell you that they said President Reagan was slowing down into his presidency. And it didn’t affect his policies or governing. Doubtless it was because Mr. Reagan surrounded himself with capable advisers. Let’s hope Biden does the same. Thoughts? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/2 "2021-11-15T21:51:48Z")
Cite that Biden had a stroke? Since that would be big news. > **[A Closer Look at Joe Biden's Health](https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20201028/a-closer-look-at-joe-bidens-health)** > > So just how healthy is Biden? Quite healthy, according to the most  recent medical assessment released by Biden’s doctor in December 2019. > **[Fact check: Jill Biden never said Joe Biden had 'three strokes'](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/09/29/fact-check-jill-biden-never-said-joe-biden-had-strokes/3561521001/)** > > A fake quote attributed to Jill Biden on her husband Joe Biden's health has gone viral online. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/3 "2021-11-15T21:54:16Z")
Yes, you do need a cite. A brain aneurysm is not the same as a stroke. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/4 "2021-11-15T21:54:53Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > (I assume the fact President Biden had a stroke a while back is common knowledge. So therefore I don’t need a cite. That having been said…) Well that’s a silly way to start a thread. Cite that he’s had a stroke, please. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/5 "2021-11-15T21:56:15Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I assume the fact President Biden had a stroke a while back is common knowledge. So therefore I don’t need a cite. I’m going to be that guy…cite? [WebMD’s article on Biden](https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20201028/a-closer-look-at-joe-bidens-health) indicates that he had two brain aneurysms in 1988; those are not the same as strokes. He also had “episodic atrial fibrillation” in 2009, which again, is not a stroke. This [USA Today article](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/09/29/fact-check-jill-biden-never-said-joe-biden-had-strokes/3561521001/) from last year debunks a claim that Biden’s wife Jill replied to someone who criticized her husband’s speech impediment by saying that he had had three strokes. So, can you give us a reputable cite that Biden has, in fact, suffered an actual stroke in the past? _Edit: @DrDeth beat me to both cites._ ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/6 "2021-11-15T21:56:43Z")
Not just that he didn’t have a stroke, the aneurysms were over 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/7 "2021-11-15T21:57:57Z")
I read the thread title and almost freaked out. Then I saw that it was a Jim\_B thread about something that he thinks happened “a while back,” but probably didn’t. I’ve flagged the thread and asked a moderator to change the title. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/8 "2021-11-15T21:58:35Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Yes, you do need a cite. A brain aneurysm is not the same as a stroke. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/9 "2021-11-15T22:01:24Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > [WebMD’s article on Biden](https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20201028/a-closer-look-at-joe-bidens-health) indicates that he had two brain aneurysms in 1988; those are not the same as strokes. He also had “episodic atrial fibrillation” in 2009, which again, is not a stroke. It also says that one of those aneurysms ruptured, which is a [hemorrhagic stroke.](https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/types_of_stroke.htm#hemorrhagic) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/10 "2021-11-15T22:01:57Z")
I could have sworn I heard stroke, and from more than one place 🤨 . In any event, citewise, this is typical: [https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/joe-biden/2019/03/18/joe-biden-2020-how-then-senator-overcame-life-threatening-brain-aneurysms/3002961002/](https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/joe-biden/2019/03/18/joe-biden-2020-how-then-senator-overcame-life-threatening-brain-aneurysms/3002961002/) IAE I certainly don’t consider brain aneurysms (or any other type of brain damage or anomaly) trivial. But at the same time I am not saying (as I said above) that he is in any way unfit to govern. And he does still seem to struggle (right word?) a little, just a little, from time to time. Now, with ‘aneurysm’ inserted for ‘stroke’ above, can we complete the discussion 🙂 ? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/11 "2021-11-15T22:04:01Z")
I had a stroke in 2005. Since then I’ve written several books, hundreds of articles, and more than 20,000 posts here, which I’ll put up against anyone’s oeuvre. Anything else you want to discuss? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/12 "2021-11-15T22:04:41Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I could have sworn I heard stroke, and from more than one place 🤨 . “I heard it somewhere” is nowhere near a cite. Why do you post things like this? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/13 "2021-11-15T22:05:06Z")
@Exapno_Mapcase Yeah, but how old are you 🙂 ? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/14 "2021-11-15T22:06:05Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > It also says that one of those aneurysms ruptured, which is a [hemorrhagic stroke.](https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/types_of_stroke.htm#hemorrhagic) I stand corrected on the terminology, thank you. To the OP: he suffered two brain aneurysms, one of which was, indeed, a form of stroke…33 years ago. Are you claiming (or wondering) if now, finally, it’s causing a sudden change in his congnition? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/15 "2021-11-15T22:06:27Z")
@D_Anconia You mean that I am the first person on these boards, nay in the world, that has ever made a mistake? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/16 "2021-11-15T22:07:04Z")
I’m 71, but Biden is undoubtedly healthier overall than me. And he had the aneurysms 17 years earlier, when he was much younger than I am now. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/17 "2021-11-15T22:07:46Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > @Exapno_Mapcase Yeah, but how old are you 🙂 ? Holy frick. What difference would that make? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/18 "2021-11-15T22:08:01Z")
@kenobi_65 Well, age does sometimes make these things catch up with you. IANADoctor. But I have seen the phenomenon in numerous family members. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/19 "2021-11-15T22:09:12Z")
@nelliebly What difference does age make in health and cognition? How can I answer that 🙂 ? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412/20 "2021-11-15T22:14:47Z")
BTW someone did point out that President Biden did indeed have _one_ stroke. And my thread title is singular. So mods, what do you want to do 🙂 ? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-stroke-aneurysm-in-1988-edited-title/954412.md?page=2)