Biden tests positive for Covid in fresh blow to campaign
The president said he would consider dropping out of the race if presented with a "medical condition"
What happened
President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, shortly after saying he would consider dropping his controversial reelection bid if presented with a "medical condition." The White House said the president was "experiencing mild symptoms" of the virus but would still carry out his full duties while self-isolating at his Delaware home.
Who said what
The Covid diagnosis comes amid growing calls from Democrats for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race owing to concerns about his age and mental acuity. In an interview with BET's Ed Gordon that aired Wednesday, Biden said he would reconsider his bid for another term "if I had some medical condition that emerged" or "if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem."
The comments are the "latest in a series of shifting explanations" about what it would take for him to end his campaign, The New York Times said. It marked the "first time Biden opened the door to a theoretical medical condition" pushing him from the race, Politico said.
What next?
The president has had his first dose of the antiviral drug Paxlovid and said in a post on X yesterday that he was "feeling good." But the Covid diagnosis put a "screeching halt" to a "key campaign event meant to shore up support with Latino voters," said CNN, and comes at a "critical juncture in the election." Biden is stuck "behind closed doors at a time when Democratic lawmakers have been clamoring to see him out front."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘The economics of WhatsApp have been mysterious for years’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will Democrats impeach Kristi Noem?Today’s Big Question Centrists, lefty activists also debate abolishing ICE
-
Is a social media ban for teens the answer?Talking Point Australia is leading the charge in banning social media for people under 16 — but there is lingering doubt as to the efficacy of such laws
-
Trump threatens Minnesota with Insurrection ActSpeed Read The law was passed in 1807 but has rarely been used
-
White House halts migrant visas for 75 countriesSpeed Read Brazil, Egypt, Russia, Iran and Somalia are among the nations on the list
-
Trump, Senate GOP block Venezuela war powers voteSpeed Read Two Republicans senators flipped their vote back amid GOP pressure
-
White House ends TPS protections for SomalisSpeed Read The Trump administration has given these Somalis until March 17 to leave the US
-
Clintons defy House GOP on Epstein subpoenasSpeed Read The House has already received what ‘little information we have,’ the Clintons said
-
Prosecutors quit as DOJ pushes probe of Good widowSpeed Read At least six prosecutors have resigned in Minnesota
-
Judge clears wind farm construction to resumeSpeed Read The Trump administration had ordered the farm shuttered in December over national security issues
-
Kelly sues Hegseth, Pentagon over censureSpeed Read Hegseth’s censure was ‘unlawful and unconstitutional,’ Kelly said
