An embattled President Biden was resting at his Delaware beach home Thursday, fighting COVID-19 and a rising tide of dissent from within his own party over his ability to carry on in the presidential race.
Former President Trump, meanwhile, was preparing for a triumphant return to center stage on the final night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, following a failed assassination attempt on his life and days of speeches from his own top rivals, in which they all lined up behind him.
The two images stood in stark contrast, reflecting vastly different vibes within their respective parties.
Republicans have seemed buoyant and gleeful at their Wisconsin confab this week, cheering wildly each time Trump appeared, his ear still bandaged. Democrats have seemed increasingly panicked, bruised by infighting within their own ranks and wary of what may come next — whether that is Biden rallying again or finally relinquishing power.
A slow drip of leaks from Democrats in Congress suggested Biden was edging closer to giving up, and handing things off to either Vice President Kamala Harris or some other, to-be-determined candidate. The same leaks seemed designed to bear out that conclusion — despite Biden insisting, time and again, that he isn’t going anywhere.
For a brief moment following the shooting of Trump on Saturday, some in politics wondered if the drumbeat of dissent against Biden had peaked — or that it might putter out in the face of an entirely new chapter in the race.
Instead, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) on Wednesday became the most prominent member of Congress yet to call on the incumbent president to leave the race, saying in a statement first reported by The Times that it was time for Biden to “pass the torch.”
Biden was out on the campaign trail when Schiff’s announcement landed. At a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas, reporters shouted to the president, asking if he had any comment. They were drowned out by Biden staff, who said it was time for the president to leave.
Shortly after, the White House announced Biden had tested positive for COVID-19, and was headed to his Rehoboth Beach, Del., home to rest.
At 9:40 a.m. Thursday, the White House announced a “lid” — meaning Biden would not be seen publicly for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, the drumbeat of pressure grew heavier.
The Washington Post reported that former President Obama had told allies that Biden needed to seriously consider his viability at the top of the Democratic party ticket. The New York Times reported that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) had presented Biden with data showing he is trailing Trump.
As Trump prepared to take center stage again for the first time since he rose bloodied from another stage with the message to “Fight! Fight! Fight!” his opponent had stepped out of the political ring.
Whether that was just to nurse himself back to health from COVID-19 was anyone’s guess.