US President Joe Biden was seen in public for the first time since he dropped out of the Presidential race and tested positive for COVID-19. His absence sparked rumours on social media with several users claiming the 81-year-old leader’s health was deteriorating, even claiming he was in “hospice care” and was “unlikely to survive the night”.
"Where's Joe" became a top trend on X globally after the US President was out of public eye for five days as he was isolating while recovering from COVID-19 at his Delaware home.
On Wednesday, the Democratic leader returned to the White House after his doctors said his symptoms of COVID-19 have been resolved and a rapid antigen test showed he was negative for COVID-19. “I am feeling well,” he said.
🚨 UPDATE: President Biden just boarded Air Force One and is on his way back to the White House. pic.twitter.com/k2wNDleGa3
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) July 23, 2024
The US President boarded a plane to White House even as reporters shouted questions at him asking him how he felt, why he dropped out of the race and whether his deputy Vice President Kamala Harris could beat the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Biden did not respond to the questions and just gave a quick thumbs up. "It's great to be back at the White House. This afternoon, I arrived back at the Oval Office and sat down with my national security team for my daily intelligence briefing. Serving as your Commander-in-Chief continues to be the greatest honor of my life,” he wrote on X.
While quarantining, the US President announced the sudden withdrawal from his re-election bid after months of staying defiant and insisting he would not drop out of the Presidential race, even as pressure mounted from his party to step aside.
Taking to social media, he announced that he would not be accepting the Democrat nomination and instead "focus all his energies on his duties as president for the remainder of his term". He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic candidate to take on rival Donald Trump in the elections later this year.
The leader also announced that he will be addressing the nation on Friday morning, probably to explain his decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
“Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people,” he said in a post on X.