Democrats Put Pressure on Biden to Run for Re-Election After He Tests Positive for COVID-19
The White House said on Wednesday that President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while in Las Vegas.
The 81-year-old Democrat is under increasing pressure to reevaluate his reelection campaign from inside his own party, and this diagnosis comes at a critical juncture.
Shortly after Biden postponed his scheduled speech, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre disclosed the positive test result.
Jean-Pierre reports that the President is presently isolating himself due to slight symptoms.
“He is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms,” Jean-Pierre stated.
According to Reuters, Biden departed Las Vegas on Air Force One in order to recover in Delaware.
Reporters were told by Biden, “Good, I feel good.” However, he ascended the stairs cautiously, gripping the railing firmly and stopping sometimes as he went up the stairs.
When Biden becomes ill, it comes at a crucial time when he is trailing Republican Donald Trump in important swing states.
After escaping a Saturday assassination attempt, Trump is enjoying a good convention this week. Though it’s unclear how long Biden’s illness would keep him off the campaign trail, the White House stated that he expects to spend a long weekend at his beach house in Delaware.
But shortly after the statement, the president’s convoy left the city to do a radio interview and headed for the Las Vegas airport.
Biden greeted a couple dozen patrons at a Mexican restaurant prior to his radio broadcast.
When Janet Murguia, the event organizer, revealed he had tested positive for COVID, he was already running behind schedule to give a speech to the Latino civil rights organization UnidosUS.
The announcement caused groans in the conference room.
“He said to tell my folks that we’re not going to get rid of him that quickly, we’re going to have a chance to hear from him in the future directly,” said Murguia.
Biden’s physician, according to the White House, said that he had been experiencing upper respiratory symptoms earlier in the day.
“He felt OK for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus,” added the statement.
Biden will self-isolate in compliance with Centers for Disease Control protocols, according to the White House.
According to the doctor, he has taken his first dose of Paxlovid and his symptoms are not too bad.
Biden’s most recent COVID-19 match started in July 2022. He was ultimately cleared on August 7 after testing positive on July 21, recovering on July 27, and testing positive with a rebound case on July 30.
