Chairperson Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, the White House said.
The president, who was giving a speech in Las Vegas, “is experiencing mild symptoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Jean-Pierre said Biden “will return to Delaware, where he will self-isolate and continue to fully perform all of his duties during that time.”
She noted that Biden has been vaccinated and is in good health.
U.S. President Joe Biden walks toward Air Force One, at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., July 17, 2024.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
“The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s condition as he continues to fully perform the duties of the office during his quarantine,” she said.
Biden boarded Air Force One in Las Vegas around 6:30 p.m. ET, the White House team reported. The president did not wear a mask while on the plane.
“Good, I feel good,” Biden told reporters in response to shouted questions on the airport tarmac.
Biden’s doctor said the president had a runny nose and a “nonproductive cough” on Wednesday afternoon.
“He felt fine at the first event of the day, but because he was not feeling better, he underwent an on-site COVID-19 test and the result was positive for COVID-19,” the doctor said in a statement shared by the White House.
Biden’s symptoms “remain mild,” with a normal temperature and breathing rate and a blood oxygen saturation reading of 97 percent, according to his doctor.
“The president has received his first dose of Paxlovid,” the doctor said. “He will self-isolate at his home in Rehoboth.”
The Biden campaign referred CNBC to the White House for comment.
Biden is scheduled to speak Wednesday afternoon at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas, following an interview with Univision at the Original Lindo Michoácan Restaurant.
Photos show Biden shaking hands with customers at the restaurant.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with a person at Lindo Michoacan Mexican Restaurant, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., July 17, 2024.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
But Biden did not appear at the convention at his scheduled speaking time of 4:30 p.m. ET.
Just after 6 p.m. ET, U.S. President Janet Murguia announced to the crowd that Biden had tested positive for the virus.
“Unfortunately, I just spoke with President Biden on the phone, and he shared his deep disappointment in not being able to join us this afternoon,” she said. “The president has been attending a number of events, as we all know, and he has just tested positive for Covid.”
“He told me to tell my family that we weren’t going to get rid of him so quickly,” she added. “He was just really sorry that he couldn’t be with us.”
The illness comes as Biden, 81, is under increasing pressure from other Democrats to withdraw from the presidential race against the Republican nominee. Donald Trump.
A growing number of Democratic lawmakers, along with top donors and other allies, have urged Biden to resign after his disastrous debate performance sparked panic about his campaign.
Biden has repeatedly rejected those calls and defended his physical and mental health.
But in an interview with BET on Tuesday, Biden said he may reconsider the decision to stay in the race. if a “pathological condition” appears.
Biden previously tested positive for Covid in July 2022.
Biden’s campaign quickly tried to turn his latest bout with the virus into a fundraising opportunity — and criticized the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Muskperson who is said to have committed donated heavily to a pro-Trump super PAC.
Biden’s personal X account shared a thread Wednesday evening that began with a two-word post: “I’m sick.”
But the next post was “about Elon Musk and his rich friends trying to buy this election.” That post included a link to the Biden campaign’s fundraising page.
