President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID, according to an announcement made at a Las Vegas convention center where he’d been scheduled to speak on Wednesday afternoon.
The announcement was made by Janet Murguía, the president and CEO of UnidosUS, the Latino civil rights and advocacy organization hosting the event, just hours after the 81-year-old Biden said in an interview that he would drop out of the presidential race only if diagnosed with a serious “medical condition.”
“I was just on the phone with President Biden,” Murguía said, according to footage circulating on social media. “And he shared his deep disappointment at not being able to join us this afternoon. The president has been at many events as we all know and he just tested positive for COVID.”
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A reporter in the White House press pool tweeted minutes later that Biden had boarded Air Force One and was headed home to Delaware. Footage shared by the cable television network C-SPAN showed an unmasked Biden appearing to tell reporters shouting questions at him that he was feeling “good.”
He repeatedly as much in a tweet from his official X account several hours later.
“I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes,” the tweet read. “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.”
The president is “experiencing mild symptoms,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had said in an earlier statement.
She confirmed that Biden was returning to Delaware, where he will self-isolate as he continues to carry out “all of his duties fully.” Jean-Pierre added that the White House would continue to provide regular updates on his status.
The president’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said that Biden was tested after presenting with “upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise.” His respiratory rate, temperature, and pulse oximetry were all normal, O’Connor added.
Biden has been vaccinated and boosted against the virus. He was given his first dose of Paxlovid on Wednesday afternoon, his doctor said.
Hours earlier, BET News had aired a clip of the president suggesting in an interview that he’d reconsider his re-election bid if diagnosed with a serious medical condition.
“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody—if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Biden said in the clip.
Earlier this month, the president told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that only divine intervention could convince him to drop out.
“I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race,” he said. “The Lord Almighty’s not coming down.”
Biden’s positive test also comes hours after Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a top House Democrat and close ally to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, became the 23rd Democrat in Congress to call for the president to exit the race.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said in a statement. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
He is the first Democrat to publicly urge Biden to stand aside since the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, his presumptive rival, at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
More Democrats, including Pelosi, continue to debate Biden’s viability as their candidate behind closed doors.
The Biden campaign did not immediately return requests for comment.
The president had been scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at UnidosUS’ “Nuestro Momento Luncheon,” part of a larger three-day conference that has drawn 1,500 attendees and more than 100 speakers, according to organizers.
CEO Murguía’s announcement came more than 90 minutes after Biden’s speech had been scheduled to start.
“He needs to take the precautions that have been recommended,” she said. “He obviously didn’t want to put anybody at risk. He said to tell my folks that we’re not going to get rid of him that quickly – we’re going to hear from him in the future directly.”
