Footage of President Joe Biden seeming to have difficulty getting into his vehicle after leaving Air Force One on Wednesday and appearing to need help has gone viral on social media.
The incident took place after Biden said he would be “isolating as I recover” after confirming he had tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday afternoon. He earlier canceled a planned appearance at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas.
Concern over the age, frailty and mental agility of 81-year-old Biden surged following his first presidential debate with Donald Trump on June 27, during which he appeared at times to repeatedly lose his train of thought mid-sentence. In response, a number of prominent Democrats, including members of Congress, urged Biden to step aside so his party could select another nominee. This chorus was joined by California Representative Adam Schiff on Wednesday, who said he should “pass the torch” to another Democrat.
After announcing he had coronavirus, Biden flew to Delaware, where he slowly came down the stairs. Once he arrived at his vehicle, the president appeared to struggle to get in and received assistance, with footage of the incident broadcast live by ABC News.
Referring to Biden, one of the anchors said: “It appears he might be getting a little help just getting into the car there, hard to make out through the rain what exactly is going on there, but it does look like certainly the president’s feeling the effects of early in the stages of Covid.”
A 49-second clip of the ABC News coverage was shared on X by anonymous user ‘@JordanUhl,’ who added: “Biden appears to need assistance getting into his vehicle after getting off Air Force 1.”
The clip attracted widespread attention receiving over 620 reposts and 2,600 likes on the social media platform.
Newsweek contacted the White House press office and Joe Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign for comment via email on Thursday outside of usual business hours.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden was “experiencing mild symptoms” after being diagnosed with coronavirus, and would “continue to carry out the full duties of the office” while self-isolating in Delaware.
It came just hours after a Black Entertainment Television (BET) interview was broadcast in which Biden was asked whether anything could persuade him to “reevaluate” his decision to stand for re-election. The president replied: “If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, ‘you got this problem, that problem.’”
According to ABC News, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer met with Biden on Saturday and urged him to stand down from the presidential race. The network reported that House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries has also privately called on the president not to run again in November.
A spokesperson for Schumer described the ABC News report as “idle speculation,” adding: “Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday.”
Responding to the meetings, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said: “The president told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”
On Wednesday, CNN‘s Jeff Zeleny, citing a senior Democratic adviser, said Biden has become “more receptive” to calls for him to stand aside over recent days.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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