Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 during his campaign trail in Las Vegas and has mild symptoms. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Wednesday (July 17) that the US president will be ‘returning to Delaware’ to 'self-isolate' and will continue to carry out ‘his duties fully’ during that time.
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Amidst this, calls for him to quit the presidential race have increased. This comes after he made major mistakes at the NATO summit that will likely stick to his career for a long time and Donald Trump’s attempted assassination over the weekend during his Butler rally.
Joe Biden: More than 20 Democratic politicians have urged the president to quit
Concerns about Biden’s old age have been circling around for quite a while. His first political debate with Trump also didn’t go as planned which raised even more questions about his cognitive health and ability to be a presidential candidate.While the president may have assured that he isn’t going anywhere, calls for him to quit have increased over time.
According to the BBC, about two dozen Democratic politicians have publicly called for Biden to step back from the election race in recent weeks. The top two Democrats in the US Congress - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries - have both expressed their concerns personally to him over candidacy. CNN reported that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi privately told Biden in a recent conversation that he cannot defeat Trump, as per the new polls.
Pelosi also added that Biden may destroy the Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November if he continues to seek a second term. Another Democratic leader told the publication that things are ‘getting worse’ for the president.
The first House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, also renewed his call this week. He cited ‘worsening poll numbers’ that not only hurt Biden’s chance of winning but also posed a ‘real threat’ to vulnerable House and Senate candidates as well.
Adam Schiff, a congressman from California also urged the president to ‘pass the torch’ after claiming that he has been ‘one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history.’
Odds surge for Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race
With so many Democratic leaders urging the president to quit and polling numbers decreasing rapidly, despite Trump being a convicted felon, odds of President Biden quitting have also increased after his Covid-19 diagnosis. According to Newsweek, predictive betting website Polymarket revealed that the likelihood of Biden dropping out of the presidential race reached 69 percent around 8.30 pm on Wednesday - just two hours after the White House announced his Covid-19 diagnosis.
Earlier in the same day, Biden told BET News that he might be willing to drop if doctors tell him he has a ‘medical condition,’ and the odds spiked from 33 percent to 50 percent.
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Sources Used
BBC: Biden under new pressure from top Democrats as Covid halts campaign
CNN: Biden is trying to salvage his campaign. Democrats say things are only getting worse
Newsweek: Joe Biden Dropping Out Odds Surge After COVID Diagnosis
