Joe Biden has caught Covid-19 and cancelled a speaking engagement at the last minute, before he was due to address a conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, the White House has confirmed.
The US president had developed symptoms, and just before he was going to address the UnidosUS annual conference in Nevada – after a long delay – the organization’s president and chief executive, Janet Murguía, told those gathered he would not be taking the podium.
Shortly afterwards, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, issued a statement saying, in part: “Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for Covid-19.”
She added: “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. 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 news came at a time when Biden is under severe pressure in his campaign for re-election, facing calls to step down as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee because of his age and episodes of slipping acuity, most notably a dire debate performance against Donald Trump last month.
On Wednesday, the California congressman and Senate candidate Adam Schiff became the most high-profile Democratic representative to call for Biden to quit his campaign. His statement was followed by a report from Jonathan Karl of ABC News that Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader and a staunch ally of the president, had told Biden on Saturday that he should end his bid for another term in the White House.
After news that he had tested positive, Biden was seen walking very slowly up the steps of Air Force One in Las Vegas, preparing to return to Delaware, where he resides when he is not at the White House. He told reporters traveling with him that he felt good.
Jean-Pierre had earlier included with her statement from the White House a “note from the president’s doctor” saying that the president had a runny nose, a non-productive cough and “general malaise”, and would be taking the anti-viral drug Paxlovid.
The note continued that Biden “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”.
It went on: “Given this, the president will be self-isolating in accordance with [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance for symptomatic individuals. PCR confirmation testing will be pending. His symptoms remain mild … [He] has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth [Delaware].”
Biden previously had Covid in 2022.
