U.S. President Joe Biden rubs his nose while greeting shoppers at Mario’s Westside Market grocery store in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is now back in Delaware and in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. AP
US President Joe Biden appears to be getting no breather: Amid calls for him to withdraw from the presidential race, the 81-year-old commander in chief has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating in Delaware.
Shortly after the news broke, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden was experiencing “mild symptoms” and would return to Delaware to “self-isolate.” He would continue to carry out his “duties as president in the meantime,” she said.
The COVID-19 diagnosis comes at bad times for Biden: He is facing growing backlash from within his own Democratic Party over his ability to continue campaigning for a second term in the White House, and it puts him off the campaign trail at a time when rival Donald Trump is making the right moves, including dealing with an assassination attempt and attending the Republican National Convention.
Biden tests positive for coronavirus
US President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 after an event in Las Vegas on Wednesday. White House physician Kevin O’Connor said the president had been complaining of a runny nose, cough and “general fatigue” and tested positive after attending a campaign event.
“Symptoms remain mild,” Dr O’Connor said, adding that Biden’s respiratory rate, temperature and blood oxygen levels were all normal.
According to the US President’s doctor, Biden returned to Delaware to isolate himself until he recovered and received his first dose of the antiviral drug Paxlovid. It is noteworthy that this is Biden’s fight against the virus. He first contracted COVID-19 on July 21, 2022, and experienced mild symptoms.
Before heading to Delaware, Biden gave a thumbs up to reporters and said he was “feeling good.”
Biden’s diagnosis comes amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, with him becoming the latest in a string of high-profile figures in Washington to test positive, including Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Rep. Barbara Lee.
Cancelled promises
Some believe that if Biden were to be diagnosed with COVID-19 at this point, it would be detrimental to him because it would take him off the campaign trail. He was scheduled to speak to unions representing Latino workers, a big Democratic base, but has now canceled that event.
“The president, as you know, has been at a number of events and has just tested positive for COVID,” Jeanette Murguía, president of the UnidosUS conference, told conference attendees, drawing sighs from the audience. “The president obviously didn’t want to put anybody at risk, so I told them to tell my family that I wasn’t going to get rid of him so quickly.”
Though the conference speech was a White House event, not a campaign event, the president was expected to use it as an opportunity to shore up his support among Latinos.
be CNN According to reports, the Biden campaign is concerned about how the coronavirus outbreak will affect the election timeline. CNN“The Biden team must feel that this is the last thing they absolutely need right now,” said Dana Bash of Iowa News. “The Biden team must feel that they have no time to rest.”
As the Republican National Convention drew to a close, experts believe Americans needed to see Biden campaigning openly and publicly, but with his COVID-19 infection, that will no longer be possible.
Refocusing on health
Biden’s COVID-19 infection has also put renewed attention on his health, with many questioning whether the 81-year-old Biden can handle the pressures and mental strength of a campaign after his repeated gaffes and debate embarrassments during his presidency.
Many believe the COVID-19 outbreak will give people an opportunity to question whether Biden can truly handle the physical and mental pressures of a campaign.
“The timing couldn’t be worse,” said a Democrat briefed on internal White House discussions, “to remind everyone how old Joe Biden is.”
This will come at a critical time. Many in the Democratic Party, and its donors, have been calling for Biden to step aside from the presidential race. Indeed, early Wednesday morning, California Rep. and Democratic Senate candidate Adam Schiff called on Biden to withdraw from the race and urged him to “pass the baton.”
“A second term for President Trump would undermine the very foundations of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Schiff said in a statement. Los Angeles Times.
Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reportedly had private conversations with Biden last week warning him about the risks of continuing to run.
But Biden appears determined to continue the campaign: White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement that Biden has told party leaders he is the party’s nominee and intends to win.
The Rise of Trump
Biden’s COVID-19 test comes at a time when his rival Donald Trump’s campaign was looking strong. An assassination attempt on Biden at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which prompted Trump to respond with his now-iconic fist pump, many say helped Biden rise in the polls.
Additionally, his appearance at the Republican National Convention with a bandaged ear bolstered his image among voters. Bloomberg These events reportedly contribute to a growing sense that two campaigns are pulling in opposite directions, with one gaining momentum while the other lurches into disarray.
But despite all this, Biden remains unfazed in public. For many, however, this may give him time to spend with those closest to him and perhaps give him more time to reflect on the polls, the party’s strong resistance to his nomination, and whether, after all this, he thinks he’s had enough. POLITICO I will report.
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