President Joe Biden's abrupt departure from Nevada campaign events on Wednesday, followed by a swift return to Delaware aboard Air Force One, has sparked rumors of an undisclosed medical emergency.
These speculations were further fueled by a letter posted on Biden's X account on Sunday, signed by the President himself, announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. The same account also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
According to The Post Millennial, Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator, posted on Monday that the U.S. Secret Service had informed the Las Vegas Metro Police Department of an emergency situation involving Biden. He stated, "U.S. Secret Service informed LV Metro that there was an emergency situation involving Joe Biden and to close necessary streets so that POTUS could be transported immediately to University Medical, which they began to do in earnest." Kirk further added that there was a sudden stand-down order, and the Secret Service informed the local Vegas PD that they were planning to 'medivac' the President to Johns Hopkins. He quoted rumors within the police department suggesting that Biden was critically ill or possibly deceased.
Kirk also mentioned that he received corroborating accounts that "a call went out to block streets to get Biden to University Medical trauma center ASAP, and then the plan abruptly changed and they got him out on AF1 very quickly."
Jordan Schachtel of The Dossier sought to verify these claims by gathering accounts from over half a dozen law enforcement officers from Biden's security detail and others with firsthand knowledge of the incident. His report revealed that Biden had stopped at a local Mexican restaurant, Lindo Michoacan, when law enforcement officers were informed over the radio about the President's unspecified medical emergency. Schachtel's source estimated that hundreds of officers and employees heard the broadcast live and initiated emergency response procedures.
As reported by The Post Millennial, the initial plan was to transport the President to the University Medical Center, located just two miles away. Local NBC affiliate KSNV reported that UMC "was on standby after being alerted about a possible medical issue with President Joe Biden Wednesday afternoon while he was visiting Southern Nevada." However, the plan was quickly altered, and law enforcement was instructed to clear an express route to Harry Reid International Airport instead.
Emily Goodin, Senior White House correspondent for the Daily Mail, reported that the flight time from Vegas to Dover Airbase was a mere 3 hours and 48 minutes, with Air Force One flying so rapidly that the plane shook. Officers involved in the operation told the outlet that the urgency of the response suggested a medical emergency, as a positive COVID-19 test would not have warranted such drastic measures.
On Sunday, Frank Biden, the President's younger brother, told CBS that his brother's health had indeed played a role in his decision to withdraw from the 2024 race. He expressed gratitude for "whatever time we have left."
During his visit to Las Vegas, the 81-year-old President had delivered the keynote address at the NAACP National Convention at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. However, his remaining campaign events were canceled after his staff announced that he had been diagnosed with COVID on Wednesday. Since his return to Delaware, the President has not made any public appearances.
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