President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 after an event in Las Vegas, the White House said.
via People:
Biden canceled plans to speak at the convention for UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights and advocacy group, after testing positive.
“He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said 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.”
The White House also included a statement from the president’s doctor, who said Biden’s symptoms included “upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general mailaise.”
“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,” the doctor’s statement read.
“PCR confirmation testing will be pending,” the statement continued. “The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth.”
Several Democrats have asked Biden to drop his reelection bid after his disastrous June 27 debate performance. Biden has refused to do so, although he did say he had a “bad night” during the debate. A source also previously told PEOPLE that Biden had a cold before taking to the podium.
In a recent interview with BET, Biden said he would consider dropping out of the 2024 race if a medical condition were to emerge.
“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 said in an excerpt released on Wednesday, reports The New York Times.
During a recent press conference on Thursday, June 11, he was asked directly if he would step aside should polling show that Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, has a better chance than he does of beating the Republican nominee for president, former President Donald Trump.
“No, unless they come back and say, ‘There’s no way you can win,’ ” he replied, adding, “no poll’s saying that.”
Is Shonda Rhimes writing this election cycle? It certainly seems like it.
I'm sick
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 17, 2024
