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Biden tests positive for COVID-19, experiencing ‘mild symptoms’

Updated Jul 17, 2024, 6:28pm EDT
Tom Brenner/REUTERS
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The News

US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” his press secretary announced Wednesday.

The embattled US president had been scheduled to address a Latino voter meeting at a conference in Las Vegas, but canceled after developing symptoms of the virus.

The diagnosis came after Biden said in an interview released earlier Wednesday that he would drop his bid for reelection if diagnosed with a medical condition that affected his ability to govern.

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“Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19,” Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden’s press secretary, said in a statement. “He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms. He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.”

Also on Wednesday, California Rep. Adam Schiff became the most prominent congressional Democrat to say Biden should drop his reelection bid.

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