--- title: Biden Uses Positive COVID Test to Take Dig at Musk and Trump description: President Joe Biden used his positive COVID-19 diagnosis to take a dig at Elon Musk and Republican opponent Donald Trump. canonical: https://time.com/6999946/biden-covid-digs-musk-trump/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-18T00:30:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:44:38.132Z article:section: Politics og:title: Biden Uses Positive COVID Test to Take Dig at Musk and Trump og:description: "I'm sick," Biden posted on X, following that up with: "of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election." og:url: https://time.com/6999946/biden-covid-digs-musk-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d897c794260319b/698a58e39d83e8c66eb9a50a/Biden-COVID-Musk-Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: US-VOTE-POLITICS-BIDEN og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Biden Uses Positive COVID Test to Take Dig at Musk and Trump twitter:description: "I'm sick," Biden posted on X, following that up with: "of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d897c794260319b/698a58e39d83e8c66eb9a50a/Biden-COVID-Musk-Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # ‘I’m Sick’: Biden Uses Positive COVID Test to Take Dig at Musk and Trump > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice 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. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8c478c88-0ed0-4446-bb42-18c1a88d7b0b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## 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 [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jul 18, 2024 12:30 AM UTC President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House confirmed Wednesday. by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jul 18, 2024 12:30 AM UTC [President Joe Biden](https://time.com/6984970/joe-biden-2024-interview/) used his positive COVID-19 diagnosis to take a dig at Elon Musk and Republican opponent [Donald Trump](https://time.com/6972021/donald-trump-2024-election-interview/) on Wednesday. “I’m sick,” Biden [posted on X](https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1813715902250017022) on Wednesday evening, soon after news circulated of his [testing positive for COVID-19](https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/). However, he followed that up with another post that continued: “of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election. And if you agree, pitch in here.” That post included photos of Musk and Trump, along with a link to a donation site for the Biden campaign. > [](https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1813715902250017022) Musk endorsed Trump for the 2024 presidential election in a [post on X](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1812256998588662068) on Saturday, after a [gunman opened fire](https://time.com/6998302/trump-rally-shooting-2/) on the former President at a rally in Pennsylvania. Musk has [repeatedly attacked Biden on X](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/24/technology/elon-musk-x-biden.html) for his age and immigration policies, but has often posted statements of support for Trump on the social media platform. Musk reportedly said that he will give about $45 million a month to a pro-Trump political group, according to [The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/elon-musk-has-said-he-is-committing-around-45-million-a-month-to-a-new-pro-trump-super-pac-dda53823). But the tech billionaire later [took to X](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1813097084595163643) to reply to The Journal’s story, posting a meme with the caption “FAKE GNUS.” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed earlier Wednesday evening that the President tested positive for the virus that day after an event in Las Vegas. Biden was supposed to speak at the UnidosUS conference Wednesday night, but Jean-Pierre said the President would return to his home state of Delaware to self-isolate and continue his duties. The President is vaccinated and boosted, she added. Before he left Las Vegas, Biden told reporters, “I feel good” and could be seen boarding Air Force One without a mask. He last tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022. 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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