Biden tests positive for COVID-19 as another prominent Democrat urges him to withdraw
Announcement came shortly after news U.S. president would miss campaign event
U.S. President Joe Biden, under fire from fellow Democrats to drop his re-election campaign, tested positive for COVID-19 while on a trip to Las Vegas on Wednesday and is self-isolating after experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the positive test for the 81-year-old Democrat after Biden canceled a speech due to the diagnosis.
"He is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms," Jean-Pierre said.
As he boarded Air Force One to depart Las Vegas to recuperate in Delaware, Biden told reporters: "Good, I feel good."
The illness comes at a crucial time for Biden, who has been losing ground in battleground states against Republican Donald Trump, who is headlining a triumphant convention this week after he survived an assassination attempt on Saturday.
I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes. <br> <br>I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people.
—@POTUSThe White House said Biden planned to spend a long weekend at his Delaware beach house. It was unclear how long the sickness would keep him for the campaign trail.
Minutes after the announcement, the president's motorcade was on the move from taping a radio interview in Las Vegas to the Las Vegas airport. The president was returning to Delaware to isolate, the White House said.
Biden had greeted a couple of dozen people at a Mexican restaurant prior to going into the radio interview. He was running late to deliver a speech to Latino civil rights group UnidosUS when the organizer, Janet Murguia, announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.
There were groans in the conference room at the news.
"He said to tell my folks that we're not going to get rid of him that quickly, we're going to have a chance to hear from him in the future directly," Murguia said.
The White House cited Biden's doctor as saying he had been suffering from upper respiratory symptoms earlier in the afternoon.
"He felt OK 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," the statement said.
The White House said Biden will be self-isolating in according with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
His symptoms are mild and he has received an initial dose of Paxlovid, the doctor said.
Calls to step aside continue
Biden, who had spent two nights in Vegas on the campaign trail, is locked in a battle with some fellow Democrats who worry he is too old to seek re-election and want him to step aside in favour of another candidate.
He has been defiant in the face of the calls to quit the race, telling one interviewer that only the "Lord Almighty" could persuade him to go.
"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," said Jean-Pierre.
Biden suffered a blow earlier in the day when a prominent Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Adam Schiff of California, said it was time for Biden to "pass the torch" to someone else.
Later on Wednesday, ABC News reported that Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader, told Biden in a meeting on Saturday that it would be better for the country and the Democratic Party if he ended his re-election campaign.