Amid growing calls for Joe Biden to suspend his re-election campaign, the White House has announced that the incumbent president has contracted covid and will have to isolate himself for some time.
Biden has been a strong proponent of US mass vaccination programs, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is careful to point out that the president is both “vaccinated and boosted” and that he is experiencing only “mild symptoms”.
As he left Las Vegas for voluntary isolation in Delaware, Biden also claimed to the assembled reporters that “he’s fine” – but at the same time it was noted that he walked very slowly up the stairs to the plane, looking exhausted and holding tightly to the railing of the stairs.
– 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, Jean-Pierre further claims. Initially, the idea is for Biden to spend a long weekend at the Delaware beach house, but there may be a longer rest than that.
Notably, Biden’s illness and isolation coincide with growing calls within his own party for him to withdraw his candidacy and for the Democratic Party to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as its candidate for the upcoming election.
Under pressure
The president’s critics have been sounding the alarm for years that he behaves like a very sick and confused person who mixes up names, places and events and often seems to have no idea what he is doing – but after the disastrous presidential debate against Trump at the end of June, this became painfully clear to the general public and many of his own party colleagues.
As recently as Wednesday, Adam Schiff, who represents California in the US House of Representatives, called on Biden to resign, and more than 40% of his own constituents believe he should not run for president.
Biden’s plummeting popularity has also led to theories from people who say the illness is “well-timed” and speculation that it could be a strategy to allow the president to resign “with honor” – so he can be replaced by Harris or someone else without the party having to publicly declare that Biden is no longer mentally fit to lead the country.
Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 AGAIN today…
Remember when he said, "You’re not gonna get COVID if you have these vaccinations.” pic.twitter.com/iicZCzDP5C
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) July 17, 2024
Despite the President’s staff boasting that he is “fully vaccinated and boosted”, it should be noted that Biden contracted covid even earlier, in July 2022. The President has also previously promised voters that “You’re not gonna get COVID“ – as long as they take the experimental vaccines.