In an interview clip released Wednesday, President Joe Biden said that he would consider stepping down as the Democratic candidate for president if doctors told him to. That same day, it was announced that he tested positive for COVID-19.
“Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “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.”
This isn’t the first time the president has tested positive for COVID. For example, he tested positive for the virus around two years ago and continued his duties.
“The President presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorrhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise,” said a note from his doctor. It said Biden has mild symptoms, a normal respiratory rate, a normal temperature and a normal pulse oximetry. The president has already received his first dose of Paxlovid.
According to The New York Times, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House physician, wrote after the president’s physical in February that the president is healthy, active and robust and that he “remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”
Though Biden has previously told ABC News only “god Almighty” would keep him from the presidential race, he told Ed Gordon of BET News that he would consider it if “some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” as quoted by The New York Times.
“Mr. Biden also said for the first time that he had expected to ‘move on; from the presidency and ‘pass it on to somebody else’ but decided to run again because he believed his ‘wisdom’ and experience would help heal the country’s worsening divisions,” said the outlet.
Since the poor reception of his performance at the first presidential debate last month, there have been calls for Biden, 81, to step down as the candidate in the upcoming election. Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the 78-year-old Republican candidate Saturday, Trump has maintained a lead over Biden at the polls, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Trump was officially selected as the Republican nominee this week during the Republican National Convention. Biden is expected to be selected officially as the nominee during the Democratic National Convention next month.