--- title: President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19 description: The White House said Biden tested positive for the virus earlier in the day after an event in Las Vegas. canonical: https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-17T22:40:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T17:38:27.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19 og:description: The White House said Biden tested positive for the virus earlier in the day after an event in Las Vegas. og:url: https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7199e54f2eb7425/698a58e2b21a9c9fc250a38d/GettyImages-2161850918.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4932 og:image:height: 2774 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-BIDEN og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19 twitter:description: The White House said Biden tested positive for the virus earlier in the day after an event in Las Vegas. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7199e54f2eb7425/698a58e2b21a9c9fc250a38d/GettyImages-2161850918.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19, White House Says > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Biden: 'I Feel Good' About State of Presidential Race [Watch (HLS stream): Biden: 'I Feel Good' About State of Presidential Race](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eX1ZR0hF.m3u8) (1:07)  _Published 2024-07-18. President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House confirmed Wednesday._  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Updated: Jan 19, 2026 5:38 PM UTCPublished: Jul 17, 2024 10:40 PM UTC  US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One as he departs Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, 2024, en route to Delaware. US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One as he departs Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, 2024, en route to Delaware. Kent Nishimura – AFP via Getty Images  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Updated: Jan 19, 2026 5:38 PM UTCPublished: Jul 17, 2024 10:40 PM UTC President Joe Biden has tested positive for [COVID-19](https://time.com/6999274/long-covid-risk-2024/) and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House confirmed Wednesday. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that [Biden](https://time.com/6994628/democrats-biden-drop-out/), 81, tested positive for the virus earlier in the day after an event in Las Vegas. Biden was scheduled to speak at the UnidosUS conference Wednesday night, but the group’s president announced that he would no longer be able to attend. Jean-Pierre said the President will be returning to his home state of Delaware “where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.” She added that he is vaccinated and boosted. The President told reporters before departing Las Vegas, "I feel good." He did not appear to be wearing a mask as he boarded the plane, following the positive COVID-19 test. > [](https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1813715823053193685) Biden had scheduled several events this week, following questions about his health and mental fitness after a [poor debate performance](https://time.com/6993760/joe-biden-debate-disaster-democratic-panic/) in late June. The President said in an [interview](https://app.frame.io/reviews/2fb3a28b-39ba-40cb-87e4-1ab265a13c87/5d859f6e-0b15-422d-84aa-fcf711b4a333) that took place before the COVID-19 diagnosis that he would consider dropping out of the presidential race if his doctors told him he had a “medical condition.” He last tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022\. **Read More:** [_If Biden Steps Down From Campaign, Here’s What Historians Think Will Happen Next_](https://time.com/6998091/biden-historians-whats-next/) Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the President’s physician, said in a statement that Biden came down with a runny nose and “non-productive cough” with general malaise on Wednesday afternoon. “He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus,” the physician continued. “Given this, the President will be self-isolating in accordance with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals. PCR confirmation testing will be pending. His symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth.” Get alerts on the biggest breaking news stories [**here**](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=breaking-news) ## Transcript I feel good. I feel as good as it would be for L. One of the things is most communities don't really begin to focus on the election until they get into September. And so all the talk about who's leaning to where and how it's kind of, you know, everything so far between Trump and me has been basically even. And so but I feel good because look, the things that the way Trump has characterized the community is quite frankly sick. I had a terrible night on the debate night. I was, I haven't exhausted. I'd been traveling around the world. I wasn't ready. And I performed terribly. And so people are now saying, Well, that was only one thing. But he's 81-years-old. What happened? He's 84-years-old? What happened, excuse me, when he's 85-years-old. I was smart enough to know W as comes wisdom. I know the difference between the truth and lies. I don't know the difference between good and bad. 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