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www.nbcnews.com
Biden's Covid diagnosis throws wrench in White House midterm push
President Joe Biden’s Covid diagnosis risks upending, at least in the near term, the White House’s midterm strategy, costing him valuable time on the road and
Politics
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s Covid diagnosis risks upending, at least in the near term, the White House’s midterm strategy, costing him valuable time on the road and potentially raising questions about his age and fitness.
For a White House staff struggling to bolster Biden’s record-low approval numbers and help Democrats hold on to seats in Congress, there was a sense that the timing couldn’t be worse, said one person close to the White House. Fresh off a string of overseas trips, officials had been gearing up to get Biden on the road back home in the crucial months before the midterms.
While Biden continued working from the White House residence on Thursday, he was forced to cancel a trip to Pennsylvania where a key Senate seat is up for grabs and it’s unclear when he will be able to resume travel. Biden will isolate for at least five days and only leave isolation once he tests negative, the White House said.
“There is political concern here,” said one Democratic strategist who asked not to be named discussing internal White House matters. “Obviously, there’s the elephant in the room about how well he recovers. Does he have a pretty mild case, or does he have complications?”
Then there are also concerns that Biden may have lingering effects from the virus that could last weeks or months and whether it could perpetuate the narrative of Biden being too old for the job.
“There’s also some concern of making sure a 79-year-old president doesn’t look frail or doesn’t seem unhealthy,” the strategist said.
Given the confidence within the White House about the effectiveness of vaccines and antivirals, there appeared to be little concern over Biden’s health among those in the administration on Thursday. White House Covid coordinator Ashish Jha said the expectation is that Biden will continue to have mild illness.
“People are more annoyed than worried” about his health, said the person close to the White House.
Along with canceling remarks that he was planning to make in Pennsylvania Thursday on reducing crime, Biden was also set to headline a fundraiser in Philadelphia that evening. Biden was also scheduled to attend a rally hosted by the Democratic National Committee in Florida on Monday, which would have been his first political rally of the midterms.
How the White House manages Biden’s public image in the coming days will be crucial, said two people close to the White House. There are some concerns that if Biden is out of public view in the coming days, the “hiding in the basement” narrative pushed by Republicans during the presidential campaign will re-emerge.
“What happens in the next week will be important,” said one of the people. “He needs to get outside moving around.”