After six days missing and amid speculation about his health, Biden returns to White House
"This afternoon, I arrived back at the Oval Office and sat down with my national security team for my daily intelligence briefing," the president wrote on 'X.'
After spending six days in seclusion, President Joe Biden was again seen in public as he boarded Air Force One on a flight back to Washington D.C. from Delaware.
As he boarded the president did not pause to answer reporters' questions, but appeared to say "well" when one asked him aloud how he was feeling.
President Biden heads to the White House after he recovered from COVID-19 and exited the 2024 race.
— The Recount (@therecount) July 23, 2024
Reporter: "How are you feeling?"
Biden: "Well." pic.twitter.com/i7X8ToXxcl
Then, with a post on X (formerly Twitter), the president confirmed he was 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," the president wrote. "Serving as your Commander-in-Chief continues to be the greatest honor of my life."
🚨 | Joe Biden reports through his X account his arrival at the White House, amid multiple speculations about his health condition pic.twitter.com/laSeCWwvpx
— VOZ (@Voz_US) July 23, 2024
Biden's Air Force One flight and his post on X comes just as speculation has increased about health problems for Biden, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, just days before officially announce his withdrawal from the election race with a cool and detached statement on his social media.
The president was recovering in Rehoboth Beach and, beyond the official medical reports, no one outside his inner circle had seen him in recent days.
This Wednesday, at 8:00 pm, the president will address the nation from the Oval Office, in a speech where he will likely explain in more detail his decision to drop out of the race and also discuss his vision for the final months of his term.
Politics
Biden to speak on Wednesday to explain why he is dropping out of the presidential race
Rosana Rábago Sainz
Biden's health problems continue to raise concerns
Last night, as Biden completed his fifth day in isolation, some independent journalists began claiming on 'X' that Biden had suffered a medical emergency last week that was not officially disclosed.
In particular, the most detailed allegation came from independent media The Dossier, which reported, citing law enforcement sources, that President Biden suffered a medical emergency while in Las Vegas.
According to The Dossier, Biden was kicking off his campaign trip in Las Vegas, with a keynote speech before a crowd of nearly five thousand people at the NAACP National Convention at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, but suddenly everything changed for the president:
"On Wednesday, Biden was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the annual UnidosUS convention at the MGM Grand, with thousands of attendees awaiting his arrival. Since the venue is located just off the Las Vegas Strip, the security detail and the president's motorcade required enormous outside support from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. President Biden did not attend the convention or any of the events scheduled for the evening. Instead, he left town, departing Las Vegas on Air Force One for Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he remains today."
According to The Dossier, independent testimony from more than a half-dozen of the president's security agents and others with direct knowledge of the incident that occurred that day confirmed that Biden had more than a common cold or routine COVID symptoms, which is the official information given.
The agents described to the media that Wednesday was "chaotic" from the start. President Biden, who had apparently started the day with delays, began to have a health problem after his visit to a well-known Mexican restaurant, Lindo Michoacan. Suddenly, when he was supposed to give a speech at UnidosUS, the situation went haywire.
Several agents received information over the radio of a medical emergency from the president, communicated as a serious crisis. Media sources estimated that hundreds of officers and employees of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department listened to the live transmissions. Initially, the plan was to move the presidential convoy to the University Medical Center (UMC), about two miles away. In fact, local NBC affiliate KSNV confirmed that UMC was on alert after being informed of a possible medical problem with President Biden on July 17. In the end, Biden's team decided not to take him to the hospital and an express route to Harry Reid International Airport was ordered to be cleared for take off.
Since then, Biden was isolated for six days in Delaware, where he made the decision to drop out of the race and support his vice president, Kamala Harris.
According to Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and Fox News medical contributor, President Biden looked fine today as he walked to Air Force One.
"His walking on the stairs looks fine, better than usual, but it's strange that he didn't say hello to anyone," Siegel told the news network. "All his energy went into walking."
Meanwhile, Biden's personal physician, Kevin C. O'Connor, released the latest update on the president's health on Monday, July 22.
According to O'Connor, the president had completed his tenth dose of Paxlovid and his symptoms had now "almost resolved completely."