President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, delivering another setback to his candidacy as pressure mounts on him to drop his presidential bid.
Janet Murguía, the CEO of UnidosUS, broke the news to the annual gathering of her Latino advocacy organization, sparking disappointed cries of “ahh” around the conference hall.
“I was just on the phone with President Biden and he shared his deep disappointment at not being able to join us this afternoon,” she said. “He just tested positive for COVID.”
“Of course, we understand that he needs to take the precautions that have been recommended,” she said.
The White House said Mr. Biden started feeling lousy during his day in Las Vegas, where he traveled for a series of events to court Nevada voters and key constituencies. According to his doctor, he had a runny nose, cough and general malaise.
“He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms. 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,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“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,” she said in a written statement.
The COVID-19 virus isn’t the dire threat it was in the 2020-2021 height of the pandemic but it is still poses a potential threat to the elderly and those otherwise in ill health. It’s also infectious.
Moments before the UNidosUS announcement, Mr. Biden visitedtThe Original Lindo Michoacan Restaurant to sit for an interview with Univision.
The diagnosis is the latest blow to the president as he fends off sharks swirling around his candidacy. A growing number of Democrats want him to give way to a replacement because of his advanced age, declining abilities and disastrous debate performance on June 27.
Nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters say that Mr. Biden, 81, should bow out of the race, according to an AP-NORC Center of Public Affairs poll.
The poll, released on Wednesday, found that 65% of surveyed voters believed Mr. Biden should drop from the ticket.
Pollsters questioned 1,253 voters between July 11 and 15. Almost half of Democratic voters were “not at all confident” about Mr. Biden’s mental capacity to be president for a second term.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a prominent Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat in California, joined the chorus on Wednesday, citing “serious concerns” about Mr. Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump.
“Our nation is at a crossroads,” Mr. Schiff told the Los Angeles Times. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the president can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Reporters traveling with the president shouted questions about Mr. Schiff’s position, though were drowned out by staff saying, “Thank you, press!”
There have been reports of increasing numbers of persons getting COVID-19 this summer. Yet the timing and optics of the diagnosis couldn’t be worse for Mr. Biden while he combats the idea he is too frail to be president.
He attributed his poor debate performance to a cold, although he had given no public indication of that beforehand.
The positive diagnosis is also a subliminal reminder of one of the biggest challenges of Mr. Biden term, when it was difficult to contain the virus and its variants despite the presence of a vaccine.
Mr. Biden’s doctor said the president’s respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 degrees and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. Also, he received his first dose of Paxlovid, a COVID-19 treatment from Pfizer.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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