On Wednesday, while on a campaign trip to Las Vegas, Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing “general malaise” due to the infection, as reported by the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that the 81-year-old President would fly to his home in Delaware to “self-isolate” and “continue to fully carry out all of his duties during that time.”
Footage showed the US President walking slowly off Air Force One, pausing several times before putting on a mask inside the black SUV. He seemed to need some assistance as he stepped into the vehicle before it drove away.
Janet Murguia, CEO of the Latino civil rights organization Unidos US, first revealed the Covid diagnosis. She informed guests at the group’s convention in Las Vegas that Mr. Biden had sent his regrets and could not attend due to his positive test result.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the President’s physician, noted that Mr. Biden “presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, including rhinorrhea (runny nose) and a non-productive cough, with general malaise.” Following the positive test, Mr. Biden was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and had already taken his first dose, according to Dr. O’Connor.
As he boarded Air Force One at Harry Reid Airport, Mr. Biden told reporters, “I feel good.”
Later, Mr. Biden appeared to make light of his Covid diagnosis by posting on X, “I’m sick,” and followed up with another post saying, “of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election. And if you agree, pitch in here.” This post included photos of Musk and Trump, along with a link to a donation site for the Biden campaign.
Meanwhile, pressure continues to mount on the President. A video resurfaced of an interview with BET News in which Mr. Biden was asked if there was anything that would make him reconsider staying in the race. He replied, “If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem.”
In a significant setback for the President, ABC News reported on Wednesday that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told Mr. Biden in a meeting last weekend that it would be better for the country and the Democratic Party if he ended his re-election campaign. Mr. Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on the report. According to ABC News, the one-on-one meeting took place at Mr. Biden’s home in Rehoboth, Delaware, on Saturday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Adam Schiff, a prominent Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from California, stated it was time for Mr. Biden to “pass the torch” to someone else. In a clip from an interview with BET News broadcast on Wednesday evening, Mr. Biden suggested for the first time that he might reconsider running for re-election if doctors informed him of a medical issue.
Source: inews.co.uk
