- author, Anna Fagie and State Department Correspondent Tom Bateman
- role, Accompanying the President and reporting from Washington and Las Vegas
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President Joe Biden has had his campaign halted by the COVID-19 pandemic and is facing new pressure to step down because of his age.
U.S. media have reported that the two top Democrats in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, met privately with Trump and expressed concerns about his candidacy.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also reportedly told Donald Trump that he cannot beat him in the November election.
The White House announced he had contracted COVID-19 on Wednesday night and said the 81-year-old was experiencing mild symptoms.
Presidential spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president had received both the vaccine and a booster shot. The president has previously tested positive for COVID-19 twice.
Biden was seen visiting supporters and speaking at an event in Las Vegas earlier in the day, after cancelling a campaign speech he had planned for later in the evening.
Jean-Pierre said the president plans to carry out his “full duties” while isolating at his Delaware home.
The president’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, said Biden was experiencing upper respiratory symptoms, including a runny nose and cough, and had received his first dose of Paxlobidi.
Dr O’Connor said he felt fine during the first event of the day but later tested positive.
Biden later took to Twitter to thank everyone for their “words of encouragement” and said he would “get the job done for the American people” while he recovers.
In another tweet, his account said it was “disgusting,” before replying, “Disgusted that Elon Musk and his rich buddies are trying to buy this election. If you agree, join us here.”
The tweet linked to a donation portal.
Earlier, reporters visiting Las Vegas said they rushed from a campaign event at a Mexican restaurant to the Las Vegas airport following the announcement.
The restaurant was abuzz with color, with Mexican art and guitars hanging on the walls and banners hanging from the ceiling. One wall was adorned with a “Biden-Harris” poster.
With ceiling fans running at low speed and Latin pop playing softly over speakers, Biden entered through a kitchen door, flanked on either side by Secret Service agents, and into the main dining area.
He shook hands with diners (who had apparently been waiting for his arrival for some time), kissed one of them, and took selfies with others.
The president appeared somewhat stiff and sluggish compared with his energetic performance the previous day in a speech to civil rights groups across the nation.
Biden was forced to cancel a speech to the Latino civil rights group UnidosUS.
The president is trying to regain support among Hispanic voters, whose lead in the polls has shrunk since 2020.
He was seen making his way slowly and carefully up the steps to the plane late Wednesday afternoon. He was not wearing a mask.
“Great, I feel great,” he could be heard saying as he boarded Air Force One.
It’s an abrupt and dispiriting end to a visit that was meant to see Biden kick off his campaign full steam ahead again after a hiatus caused by an assassination attempt on rival President Donald Trump.
Biden’s reelection efforts have already been hit by growing dissent among congressional Democrats following his disastrous debate loss against Donald Trump last month.
And now, as Air Force One slogs through the hot air above Nevada, it’s hit even more turbulence, dealing the president a new and unexpected blow.
This election campaign feels like it is moving at a chaotic and unpredictable pace.
Biden’s illness comes amid growing calls for him to withdraw from the race.
According to U.S. media reports, in separate private meetings with Biden, Schumer and Jeffries expressed deep concerns that Biden’s candidacy could have a negative impact on other House and Senate elections.
According to CNN, Speaker Pelosi also told the president in a recent conversation that polls show Democrats’ chances of taking the House of Representatives and losing the White House in the presidential election could damage the president.
About two dozen Democrats have called for Biden to resign in recent weeks, including Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who said he had serious doubts the president could beat former President Trump.
He called on Biden to “pass the baton.”
Schiff said Biden is “one of the most significant presidents in the history of our country” and that allowing another Democrat to come forward “ensures Biden’s legacy of leadership.”
According to reports from ABC News, The Washington Post and Politico, the two top Democrats in Congress, Schumer and Jeffries, have met privately with Biden in recent days and expressed concern among lawmakers that a Biden lead in the November election could undermine their chances of retaining control of both houses of Congress.
White House press secretary Andrew Bates said after the news broke, “The president has informed both leaders that he is their party’s nominee, that he intends to win, and that he looks forward to working with them to pass a 100-day package to help working families.”
A spokesman for Mr Jeffries said “that was a private conversation and remains confidential.” Mr Schumer’s office called the reports “unfounded speculation” but added that the Democratic leader “conveyed his caucus’ views directly to President Biden.”
In an interview with BET, Biden said he didn’t believe he could take over the presidency with the country so “divided.”
The president also said for the first time that he would consider withdrawing from the race if doctors said he had “health concerns.”
