Amid calls from within his own Democratic Party for him to step down due to his age, US President Joe Biden has set conditions for reconsidering his run for a second term.
Then came COVID-19.
In a television interview with BET News, Biden was asked what might make him reconsider his decision to run again. The 81-year-old responded, “If a medical impairment were to occur, if doctors would say, you have this or that problem.”
Biden Tests Positive
Almost immediately after the interview, during campaign appearances in Las Vegas, Nevada, Biden suddenly felt ill and experienced respiratory issues.
His personal physician, Kevin O'Connor, diagnosed him with COVID-19.
Biden is fully vaccinated, but he canceled his schedule and flew back to the East Coast, where he is isolating at his summer home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
The White House announced that Biden has mild symptoms, is fully able to work, and has already been treated with a dose of Paxlovid, a COVID-19 medication.
This forced break comes at a bad time for Biden. Following a failed TV debate with Donald Trump three weeks ago, he has been trying to prove his capabilities through numerous public events, interviews, and rallies. Now, his immune system has forced him to take a pause.
Internal Party Pressure
Representative Adam Schiff, who gained international attention during the impeachment proceedings against Trump, became the first high-ranking Democrat in Congress to publicly call on Biden to withdraw on Wednesday.
Schiff argued that without Biden stepping aside, there would be no chance of defeating Trump. Additionally, the Democrats risk losing both houses of Congress.
CBS reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer may have conveyed similar sentiments to Biden. If Schumer has indeed withdrawn his support, Democratic analysts predict a domino effect. "Then things would be really tight for the president."
Mental and Physical Health Concerns
Biden's statement about possible conditions for withdrawing from the candidacy sparked significant discussion on social media. Since his debate with Trump, there have been claims of Biden suffering from extreme mental deterioration.
Some have even diagnosed him with Alzheimer's disease via remote diagnosis.
An analyst at the Republican Party Convention in Milwaukee noted that Biden's statement has opened the door to demands for a comprehensive medical and mental examination, with results to be promptly published.
The latest health bulletin from his personal physician, Kevin O'Connor, was in February and concluded that Biden was "old but fully fit for office."
On Tuesday, Biden confidently asserted in an NBC interview that his “mental acuity is still pretty good.”
However, two-thirds of Democratic voters in a recent poll now see the need for a last-minute change at the top of the Democratic candidacy. Biden's victory is in question in 14 states, compared to seven previously contested states.
In the BET interview, Biden admitted for the first time that he had planned to be a "transition candidate" after the 2020 election and hand over duties to someone else. But he "did not foresee" the extreme polarization in the country. Biden emphasized that his experience has helped pass many beneficial bills through Congress and that his work is not yet finished, making him hesitant to walk away now.
This development was covered in a rebort by Kurier.
