President Joe Biden was seen in public for the first time in six days on Tuesday as he left isolation in Delaware to return to the White House.
The president rode with a motorcade from his beachfront home in Rehoboth to Dover Air Force Base before returning to Washington, D.C. He was not seen leaving his home and made his first public appearance when he boarded Air Force One.
He was holding a face mask as he got out of his vehicle, climbed the grand staircase without any difficulty and gave a thumbs up at the top.
Before he was seen in public, his doctor announced that the president had recovered from COVID.
“The President’s symptoms have resolved. He never had a fever during the infection and his vital signs remained normal, including pulse oximetry. His lungs remained clear. The BINAX rapid antigen test is negative,” said Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
On Wednesday evening, he will address the nation from the Oval Office about his decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
“Tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, I will address the nation from the Oval Office about what the future holds and how I will get the job done for the American people,” Biden wrote on X.
The White House has announced a series of meetings with the president in the coming days after his absence sparked conspiracy theories that he was much sicker than the administration had said.
President Joe Biden is seen in public for the first time in six days
The events are focused on his role as president. His campaign events have been canceled.
The president will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week, but the exact date has not yet been announced.
And on Monday, he heads to Austin, Texas, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act with a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library. The trip was originally scheduled for last week and was canceled in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
However, Biden’s campaign activities have come to a standstill.
He has canceled a planned fundraising trip to California and Colorado that was scheduled for later this week, Harris’ campaign said. They are being rescheduled.
Biden has been staying at his beach house in Rehoboth since last Wednesday after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
In the intervening period, he shocked the nation by announcing that he would not seek a second term and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee.
Biden has not been seen in public since July 17, but he called his campaign office on Tuesday while Harris was there to speak with his staff. The campaign has been renamed Harris for President.
For weeks, since his disastrous June 26 debate with Trump, he has ignored calls from Democrats to withdraw from the race.
There are questions about his absence. He has not been seen for days – not even in photos posted on official social media accounts.
President Biden climbed the grand staircase to board his 747
Biden gave the cameras a thumbs up
Speaking in a hoarse voice to campaign staff from his COVID isolation on Monday, the 81-year-old told Harris, “I’m watching you, son.”
He vowed to remain involved in the re-election fight and said he would continue to run the campaign, speaking on a loudspeaker to his staff who now work for Harris.
“I know yesterday’s news was surprising and difficult for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do,” the president said.
“I know it’s hard because you’ve put your heart and soul into helping us win this award, helping me get this nomination, helping me win the nomination and then winning the presidency,” he continued.
President Joe Biden was last seen in public on July 17 when he arrived in Delaware
There were already signs that the campaign had continued, with signs saying Posters on the office walls included “Harris for President,” “Kamala,” and “Restore Roe.”
Democratic lawmakers, donors and grassroots supporters have rallied around Harris, who would be the first woman of color elected U.S. president.