Embattled President Biden was relaxing at his Delaware beach house Thursday, battling COVID-19 and a rising tide of dissent within the Democratic Party over his ability to move forward in the presidential race.
Meanwhile, former President Trump was preparing for a triumphant return to center stage on the final night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, following the failed assassination attempt on his life on Saturday and days of speeches from his Republican primary rivals in which everyone lined up behind him.
The two images contrasted sharply and reflected very different vibes within their respective parties.
Republicans were upbeat and cheerful at their Wisconsin conference this week, cheering wildly every time Trump appeared, his ear still bandaged from a gunshot wound. Democrats appeared increasingly skittish, hurt by infighting within their ranks and wary of what might happen next — whether Biden bounces back or finally relinquishes power.
A series of leaks from Democrats in Congress suggested that Biden was on the verge of abandoning his reelection campaign so that the party’s presidential nomination could go to Vice President Kamala Harris or some other yet-to-be-determined candidate. The leaks themselves seemed designed to confirm that conclusion, even as Biden repeatedly insists that he isn’t going anywhere.
For a brief moment after Trump was shot on Saturday, some in politics wondered whether the pace of dissent against Biden had peaked — or might die down in the face of an entirely new chapter in the race.
Instead, Representative Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) on Wednesday became the most prominent member of Congress so far to call on the incumbent president to drop out of the race, saying in a statement first reported by The Times that it was time for Mr. Biden to “pass the torch.”
Biden was campaigning when Schiff's statement broke. At a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas, reporters shouted at the president to ask if he had any comment. Biden's aides shut them down, saying it was time for the president to leave.
Shortly afterward, the White House announced that Biden had tested positive for COVID-19 and was heading home to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to work in isolation.
At 9:40 a.m. Thursday, the White House announced a “coverup,” meaning Biden would not be seen publicly for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, the pressure to withdraw was growing ever stronger.
The Washington Post reported that former President Obama had told allies that Biden needed to seriously consider his viability as the Democratic front-runner. The New York Times reported that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) had presented Biden with data showing he was behind Trump.
As Trump prepared to return to center stage for the first time since he rose bloodied from another stage with the message “Fight! Fight! Fight!”, his opponent had left the political arena, at least temporarily.
No one knows if that was just so Biden could recover from “mild symptoms” of COVID-19.
Later Thursday morning, the White House released a letter from Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, describing the president's condition at the time.
O'Connor wrote that Biden was “still experiencing mild upper respiratory symptoms” and continued to take Paxlovid, an antiviral pill used to treat COVID-19.
“He does not have a fever and his vital signs remain normal,” O’Connor wrote. “He will continue to conduct business for the American people.”
Harris continued her campaign. On Thursday she visited North Carolina, where Trump is leading in the polls.
Speaking in Fayetteville for about 15 minutes, the vice president made no mention of the pressure campaign on Biden, instead framing the race as a choice between “a country of freedom, compassion and the rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate.”
She attacked Trump’s newly named running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, and portrayed the president as a man who has “never forgotten where he came from.”
“He understands the everyday struggles because he has lived them,” she said. “I say the contrast between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is like night and day.”
Harris also dismissed Republican calls for “unity” in the wake of Trump’s shooting as hypocritical.
“If you claim to stand for unity, you need to do more than just use the word,” he said, to cheers from the crowd.
“You can’t claim to stand for unity if you’re pushing an agenda that deprives entire groups of Americans of basic liberties, opportunity and dignity,” Harris said, criticizing Republican opposition to reproductive health care and abortion, denial of the 2020 election results and economic policies that favor the wealthy.
Times staff writer Noah Bierman in Washington contributed to this report.
