Biden tested positive for Covid and cancelled his participation in an event with Latinos

President Joe Biden has canceled his expected participation in an event organized in Las Vegas by UnidosUS, one of the largest Latino organizations in the United States. The president was going to close the association at around 1:30 pm local time. After a delay of about two hours, UnidosUS president Janet Murguía took the stage and announced that Biden would not participate. “The president has just informed me that he has tested positive for Covid and it is best that he takes the necessary precautions for the safety of everyone,” Murguía said. The White House has assured that Biden has mild symptoms and that he will later go to his home in Delaware.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre has said Biden will remain in self-quarantine but will continue to perform “all of his responsibilities.” Doctor Kevin O’Connor says the president has a runny nose and some dry cough. The president is taking an antiviral called Paxovid to treat the disease.

Covid cases have been rising in 45 states across the country throughout the summer. The increase has been particularly sharp in the western states. Seven out of ten infections have been caused by the KP variant.

The president delivered a speech to the African-American community gathered at the NAACP conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Before taking the stage, Biden offered an interview to the Black Entertainment Channel, where he was asked again if he would quit the race after his disastrous performance in the debate and the criticism it caused. The president said he would consider it if a health problem arose. In an excerpt of the conversation, Biden says, “(I would do it) if a doctor told me I had this or another problem….” The full interview will be aired tonight.

Biden tested positive on the second day of his activities in Nevada, one of the seven decisive states in the race, and whose Latino population is close to 30%. In the morning, the president visited a supermarket in the city. His campaign also scheduled him to visit a Lindo Michoacán Mexican restaurant in East Las Vegas, a predominantly Hispanic area. On the tour, Biden shook hands and hugged many people.

The announcement at the conference brought out expressions of surprise and some disappointment on the faces of participants. It was expected that the President would announce here that some undocumented partners and children of US citizens will be able to begin a process on August 19 to regularize their immigration status. It was the President’s latest attempt to prevent the loss of support among a crucial segment of the electorate.

Donald Trump has regained his footing among Latino voters and African Americans, two sectors of the electorate that turned their back on him four years ago. Biden has since lost 20% support among these two groups. Some national polls show a tie between the two candidates among likely voters. This is despite the fact that the current president won 28% Latino support in 2020.

President Biden has promised to be lenient after Donald Trump survived the attack. However, some attendees at the conference believe that the president must take an aggressive stance if he wants to win. “Your government has to be more aggressive in executing the policies of this administration. He is the leader, but the cabinet is also responsible for carrying them out, they have to be tough,” said Alexandra Moya, 49, originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Moya is registered as a Republican, but she assured that, as a Puerto Rican, she could never give her vote to Donald Trump because of his treatment of the region.

The Biden administration has moved to maintain this crucial support heading into the fall. The president announced in June a program to grant papers to children and partners of citizens who have been in the United States in irregular status for more than 10 years. According to White House calculations, the measure could benefit half a million adults and about 50,000 minors who are already in the region. Officials assured that these people could begin the process without leaving their families.

The government is also committed to speeding up the process of work visas for young people who receive education at US universities. This measure includes those who have protection against deportation, known as DACA and Dreamers. The State Department recently revised its public guidelines to allow students to add their college degree to the visa application process, as long as the work will be performed in the United States.

Biden tries to defend his record with Hispanics. The government estimates he has created 5 million jobs for Latinos, a third of the 15 million jobs created in his three years in the White House. The figure has been highlighted in an election cycle where the economy is a greater concern than immigration for those who identify as Hispanic.