Hours after President Joe Biden told BET News that he would consider dropping out for a medical condition, the White House claims that Biden has tested positive for Covid and is being forced to cancel his speech at the UnidosUS annual conference in Las Vegas.
Biden said in an interview released on Wednesday that he would reconsider staying in the race if a doctor told him he had a medical condition. Ed Gordon of BET News had asked Biden if there was anything that would make him re-evaluate his decision.
“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Biden responded.
Biden is current on all of his Covid shots and boosters. This is his second bout with Covid in four years. He has said repeatedly that his doctors say he has no serious condition. His White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, wrote in February that Biden is “a healthy, active, robust, 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”
A statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden has moderate symptoms, including a runny nose, dry cough, and weakness.
“Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement.
“He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation,” Jean-Pierre said.
“The President presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea [sic] (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general mailaise. [sic] He felt okay 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. Given this, the President will be self-isolating in accordance with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals. PCR confirmation testing will be pending. His symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth,” his doctor said.
Biden’s embarrassing performance in the June 27 debate with Donald Trump last month has created a groundswell of calls for him to step aside, as he appears to be suffering from advanced dementia. Today, Rep. Adam Schiff, a Biden loyalist, called for him to withdraw from the race. Schiff is the highest-profile Democrat to make the case that Biden cannot win.
During his speech to the NAACP on Tuesday, Biden lost his train of thought and rambled incoherently.
Earlier, he had said that only God would tell him if it was time for him to step aside.
But I thought he had 17,000 different Covid shots. He should be immune to the point he cures Covid by walking in a room.
Or, the shots don’t work after all.
Great way to keep him out of the public spotlight.
“I’m sick” -F.J.B.