President Joe Biden was seen in public for the first time in six days on Tuesday as he emerged from isolation in Delaware to return to the White House.
The president took a motorcade from his beach house in Rehoboth to Dover Air Force Base for the return trip 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 mask as he exited the vehicle. He climbed the grand staircase without a hitch and gave a thumbs up at the top.
“I feel good,” Biden said when asked how he was doing.
He did not respond to questions about why he dropped out of the race and whether Vice President Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump.
Before Biden was seen in public, his doctor announced that the president had recovered from COVID.
“The President’s symptoms have resolved. Over the course of his infection, he never developed a fever and his vital signs remained normal, including pulse oximetry. His lungs remained clear. The BINAX rapid antigen test was negative,” said Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
President Joe Biden is seen in public for the first time in six days
On Wednesday night, he will address the nation from the Oval Office to discuss his decision to drop out of the presidential race.
“Tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, I will address the nation from the Oval Office to talk about what lies ahead and how I will finish the job for the American people,” Biden wrote in X.
The White House has announced several events with the president in the coming days after his absence sparked conspiracy theories that he was much sicker than the administration had announced.
The events focus on his role as president. His campaign events have been cancelled.
The president is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week, though an exact date has not been announced.
And on Monday he will travel to Austin, Texas, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act with a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library. This trip was originally planned last week and was cancelled in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
However, Biden’s campaign activity is suspended.
According to Harris’ campaign, she canceled a scheduled fundraising trip to California and Colorado that was set to take place later in the week. They will be rescheduled.
Biden has been at his beach house in Rehoboth since last Wednesday after being diagnosed with COVID.
Meanwhile, he shocked the nation with his announcement 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 on Tuesday he called his campaign office when Harris was there to meet with staff. The campaign has since changed its name to Harris for President.
For weeks, since his disastrous June 26 debate with Trump, he had resisted calls from Democrats to drop out of the race.
His absence has raised questions. He has not been seen for days, not even in photos posted on official social media.
President Biden climbed the grand staircase to board his 747
Biden gave a thumbs-up gesture in front of the cameras
The 81-year-old spoke hoarsely to campaign staff from his COVID isolation on Monday, telling Harris: “I’ve got my eye on you, kid.”
He pledged to remain involved in the re-election fight and said he would continue campaigning while speaking on speakerphone to his staffers who now work for Harris.
“I know yesterday’s news is 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 put your heart and soul into me to help us win this, help me get this nomination, help me win the nomination and then win the presidency,” he continued.
President Joe Biden was last seen publicly on July 17 when he arrived in Delaware.
There were already signs that the campaign had moved forward, with signs saying Posters reading “Harris for President,” “Kamala,” and “Restore Roe” hung on the office walls.
Democratic lawmakers, donors and grassroots supporters have rallied around Harris, who would be the first woman and woman of color to be elected president of the United States.
