Reports of President Joe Biden testing positive for COVID left NBC News analyst Chuck Todd bemoaning the “bad timing” amid all the other challenges he’s facing.
“He needs to be out there, and now he can’t be. You know, whether it’s four days, five days, six days. Every day is so critical for him,” Todd said during an NBC News Now panel on Wednesday as news broke about the president’s diagnosis.
(Video Credit: NBC News)
“Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday.
“He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms. He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” the statement continued.
Biden himself posted that he was “feeling good” but would be isolating while getting over the virus.
I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes.
I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 17, 2024
For Todd, this seemed like another nail in the coffin of the president’s re-election campaign, comparing the situation to the 1999 film “The Sixth Sense” in which Bruce Willis’s character finds he has been dead the whole time.
“We’re bordering on ‘Sixth Sense’ Bruce Willis territory where every Democrat kind of knows that this candidacy is over except the candidate. And it’s what this starts to feel like,” he remarked.
“It’s sort of that feeling when you’re watching the movie. Does he know? Right? Is he aware that, basically, the entire party has given up on him? The entire party is starting to give up on him. There’s polling out there that’s showing this,” Todd said.
Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis added to the ongoing tensions surrounding his re-election bid as more Democrats spoke out about his need to step aside. On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) joined the chorus and said, “I believe it is time for him to pass the torch.”
“I think we’re about ten days away from him getting to acceptance. But this development couldn’t have been worse timing for him, because he needs to be out there,” Todd told the NBC panel.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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