WASHINGTON – While opponents took the stage Thursday night in Milwaukee, accept the Republican nomination A few days after the assassination attempt, President Joe Biden He will be confined to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Recovering from COVID-19.
The split screen highlights a brutal three weeks for Biden. A disastrous beginning Opposition to debate performance Former President Donald Trump The remarks sparked outrage among Democrats on June 27, leading to calls for Biden, 81, to withdraw from the campaign trail.
Biden continues to be defiant in publicBut every time it looked like he might weather the storm, more bad news came for the embattled president — none more so than the string of unfortunate events that have hit Biden in the past 24 hours and ratcheted up the pressure to pull out.
Thursday just got underway with the White House announcing to the media that it would declare a “close of the day” at 9:40 a.m. ET and that Biden would not make any public appearances.
more:Chuck Schumer warns Biden candidacy would hurt Democrats: Report
The night before, as Biden flew back to Delaware from Las Vegas after testing positive for COVID-19, the most damaging news broke: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had told Biden in person that Democrats were at risk of losing control of both houses of Congress if he continued to run.
ABC first reported on the meeting, which took place at Biden’s Rehoboth Beach resort last Saturday.
CNN later reported: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who still wields enormous influence among congressional Democrats, said in the call that polls show Biden cannot beat President Trump and that his candidacy could destroy Democrats’ chances of taking control of the House.
more:Rep. Adam Schiff becomes latest Democrat to call on Biden to drop out of race
The Democratic demand was made by Republican candidate Trump, who called for Biden to resign. Survived a near-assassination A shooting occurred at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
But the signals from Schumer, Jeffries and Pelosi marked the first evidence that Democratic leaders are pressuring Biden to reconsider running, even as the president has publicly rejected the idea.
White House press secretary Andrew Bates said Biden told Schumer and Jeffries “I am the nominee of my party, I intend to win, and I look forward to working with them to pass a 100-day package to help working families.”
more:Crooks’ pre-riot warning: “July 13th is my premiere. Watch as it unfolds.”
Biden’s campaign denied Thursday that it was preparing for the possibility that he might withdraw.
“Our campaign is not envisioning a scenario in which President Biden is not the front-runner. He is and will remain the Democratic nominee,” said Quinten Fulks, deputy campaign manager for the Biden campaign.
Biden continued campaigning in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, trying to keep the key battleground state of Nevada in Democrats’ favor. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)issued a statement via the Los Angeles Times, calling on Biden to stop campaigning.
Schiff, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman and a close ally of Pelosi, is the most prominent Democrat to date to publicly call for a change in the presidential nominee, joining about two dozen other Democrats who have done the same.
According to Reuters, White House officials believe Pelosi was behind Schiff’s comments. The unnamed White House The source said: “Nancy is fully involved in this. She will not fail. Schiff will not move without her approval.”
Meanwhile, while Democrats were growing increasingly uneasy about Biden, Republicans were supporting Trump. The Associated Press poll was released Wednesday The survey found that 65% of Democrats want Biden to withdraw so the party can choose another candidate. In contrast, 73% of Republicans said they would approve of Trump as the party’s nominee.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, a Biden ally,“Joe Biden has always put country first. He’s done what’s best for America, and he’s going to continue to do that,” he added. “And he’s working towards that.”
Hickenlooper said it was up to Biden to decide whether to step down, but added, “I think there are certainly growing indications that it would be in the best interest of the country.”
Shortly after the Schiff news broke, Biden was in campaign mode on Wednesday, taking selfies and shaking hands with customers at The Original Lindo Michoacan restaurant in Las Vegas. But he tested positive for COVID-19 before arriving in time for his next scheduled speech at the annual conference of Latino group UnidosUS.
“Unfortunately,” Unidos US President and CEO Jeanette Murguía told a surprised meeting attendees, “I was just on the phone with President Biden, and he expressed his deep disappointment that he will not be able to join us this afternoon. The President, as you all know, has been attending a number of events and has tested positive for COVID-19.”
more:President Biden dies from coronavirus, halts campaign at crucial time
more:Biden says he would only consider withdrawing from the election for “health reasons.”
Biden’s infection couldn’t come at a worse time, as the president ramps up his television and radio interviews, intensifies his campaign rally and tries to reassure Americans he has the physical and mental strength to serve another four years in the White House.
A medical certificate issued by Biden’s doctor on Wednesday said the president was experiencing only mild symptoms, including a runny nose and cough. Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a letter Thursday that the symptoms remain and that Biden is taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid for treatment.
“I’m in good spirits,” Biden told reporters after arriving in Delaware on Wednesday night aboard Air Force One.
But the political damage for Biden could be even more serious.
Contributing authors: Reuters, Brianne Pfannenstiel and Rebecca Morin
Joey Garrison can be reached at X or on Twitter: @joeygarrison.
