Biden under fresh pressure from top Democrats as Covid disrupts campaign

President Joe Biden is facing renewed pressure to resign because of his age – with his campaign currently on hold due to Covid-19.

The two top Democrats in the US Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were both reported by US media to have met privately with him to express concerns about his candidacy.

Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House, also reportedly told him he could not beat Donald Trump in the November election.

Announcing the Covid infection on Wednesday evening, the White House said the 81-year-old was experiencing mild symptoms.

The president has been vaccinated and given a booster, his press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. He has tested positive for Covid twice before.

Mr Biden was seen earlier in the day visiting supporters in Las Vegas and speaking at an event. He canceled a late-night campaign speech.

Ms Jean-Pierre said the president planned to self-isolate at his home in Delaware while still carrying out “all his duties in full”.

The president’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, said Mr Biden had upper respiratory symptoms, including a runny nose and cough, and had received his first dose of Paxlovid.

Dr O’Connor said he felt fine at the first event of the day but later tested positive.

Mr Biden later took to Twitter to thank people for their “well wishes” and said he would “work hard to get the job done for the American people” while he recovers.

In another tweet, his account wrote “I’m sick of it” before replying “… about Elon Musk and his rich friends trying to buy this election. And if you agree, join in here.”

This tweet points to a donation portal.

Earlier Wednesday, reporters on a trip to Las Vegas said they had to rush from a campaign stop at a Mexican restaurant to the city’s airport after the announcement.

The restaurant is colorful, with Mexican art and guitars hanging on the walls and banners draped across the ceiling. One wall is decorated with a “Biden-Harris” poster.

As ceiling fans spun at low speed and Latin pop music blared from speakers, Mr. Biden entered through the kitchen door, flanked by a Secret Service agent, and into the main dining area.

He shook hands with diners (who had clearly been preparing for his arrival), kissed one and took selfies with others.

The president appeared more stiff and sluggish than the day before, when he gave an energetic speech to a national civil rights group.

Mr. Biden was forced to cancel a speech to UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights organization.

The president is trying to restore his appeal with Hispanic voters, who he has lost a lead in polls since 2020.

Then on Wednesday, he was seen moving slowly and cautiously up the stairs of the plane. He was not wearing a mask.

As he boarded Air Force One, he was heard saying, “Good, I feel good.”

It was an abrupt and debilitating end to a trip that was supposed to see Mr Biden resume campaigning at full force – after a pause caused by the attempted assassination of his rival Donald Trump.

Mr Biden’s re-election bid has been hit by growing discord among Democrats in Congress following his disastrous debate performance with Donald Trump last month.

And now it’s hit even more turbulence as Air Force One bounces through the hot air over Nevada and the president in front suffers another surprise blow.

This election campaign seems to be unfolding at a chaotic and unpredictable pace.

Mr Biden fell ill as he faced growing calls to withdraw from the race.

In private meetings with Mr Biden, Mr Schumer and Mr Jeffries expressed deep concerns that his candidacy could negatively impact other races in the House and Senate, US media reported.

CNN also reported that Pelosi told the president in a recent conversation that polls showed he could hurt the Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November as well as the presidency.

About two dozen Democratic politicians have called on Mr Biden to resign in recent weeks, including Adam Schiff, a congressman from California, The man said he seriously doubted whether the president could beat former President Trump.

He called on Mr Biden to “pass the torch”.

Mr Schiff said Mr Biden “is one of the most influential presidents in our country’s history” and he could “protect his legacy of leadership” by letting another Democrat take over.

Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries — the top two Democrats in Congress — have met privately with Mr. Biden in recent days and expressed concerns to other lawmakers that his presence at the top of the ticket in November could hurt their chances of controlling both chambers of Congress, according to reports from ABC News, the Washington Post and Politico.

“The president told both leaders that he is the nominee, he plans to win, and he looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100-day agenda to help working families,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said following the reports.

“It was a private conversation and will remain private,” a spokesman for Mr Jeffries said. Mr Schumer’s office called the report “useless speculation” but added that the Democratic leader “communicated his team’s views directly to President Biden.”

In an interview with BET, Mr Biden said he felt he could not hand over power when the country was so “divided”.

The president also said for the first time that he would consider dropping out of the race if any doctor said he had a “medical condition.”