Las Vegas police scrambled to secure a local hospital for Joe Biden before he abruptly cut his presidential campaign short, according to radio transmissions.
The shocking details suggest that Biden may have had a serious emergency days before he dropped out of the race. At the time, Biden's staff said he had a mild case of COVID.
A local hospital in Las Vegas received unspecified reports of a medical emergency at 2:15 p.m. on July 17, which proved to be Biden's last day on the campaign trail.
"We stood ready," Mason Van Houweling, CEO of Valley Hospital, said. "We knew we were dealing with more of a medical issue - definitely trauma and any accidents were off the table."
At the time, Biden was meeting with supporters at a local Mexican restaurant and had plans to give a speech to UnidosUS, a Latino group. The speech was cancelled, and Biden flew home to Delaware later that evening.
Secret Service made a "code three" request, which is police code for a "lights and sirens" emergency response.
“Meet at the Valley Hospital ER parking lot. We’re going to meet behind the ER entrances, where the ambulances go,” one of the officers said over radio.
Biden was never seen at the hospital, but the emergency response is sure to raise questions about whether the White House was truthful.
“Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19," his press secretary, Karine-Jean Pierre, said at the time. "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."
Biden would remain out of the public eye for several days before formally announcing the end of his re-election campaign from the Oval Office. He had initially shared the news three days earlier in a letter posted online, which raised eyebrows.
While he has not resigned, Biden has mostly faded into the background since he ended his campaign and passed the torch to vice president Kamala Harris. The two put on a united front at an event Thursday in Maryland.
"Folks, I have an incredible partner," Biden said of Harris. "The progress we have made. She's going to make one hell of a president."
