Biden tests positive for Covid in fresh blow to campaign

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."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up