“If this sh*t were happening in another country — assassination attempt on opposition leader, disappearing the current president, and installing a puppet regime overnight — the UN would send special forces and the warmongers would start to feel a tingle up their legs”, Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney and RNC member who gave a Sikh prayer at this year’s convention, wrote.

Fox News host Bret Baier said Biden’s decision to drop out via social media rather than through a live public statement was “disconcerting,” while cohost Dana Perino said, “they didn’t even release a White House still photograph. I hope he’s fine, but you can forgive people for wondering if we are really living Weekend at Bernie’s. Proof of life, please.”

It’s not only conservatives who are concerned. Rapper Meek Mill wrote on Monday afternoon, “Where tf is Joe Biden at?”

For a president to deliver such significant news on social media, without a press conference, a pre-recorded video, or even a photo, is unusual. Further, his public schedule for the week is completely empty. These moves have fuelled Right-wing interest in Biden’s whereabouts, who has not been seen by the public since Wednesday, when he flew to his home in Delaware following a Covid diagnosis.

Biden’s sudden change of heart was also a source of suspicion for some. Up until Sunday, the President had been publicly defiant, insisting he would not drop out, and his campaign was still whipping delegates for him early Sunday afternoon. Most White House staff found out he was exiting the race at the same time as the rest of the country, and even his own cabinet heard from the White House chief of staff rather than Biden himself.

“Just yesterday, President Biden was ‘deeply frustrated’ with the ‘misguided revolt against his candidacy.’ A day later, the revolt has been memory-holed”, venture capitalist David Sacks wrote, alongside several posts suggesting foul play from Democrats.

There are, however, more straightforward explanations for these unusual developments. The President, who is 81 years old and has Covid, may be avoiding public appearances because he’s recovering from his illness. He’s also been known to keep a light schedule throughout most of his presidency.

His decision to announce on social media instead of a press conference may have been an act of revenge against the media, who have been covering him negatively for weeks and in some cases explicitly calling for him to step down. His announcement blindsided the legacy media, which was left scrambling to cover the news. The New York Times, for example, did not send a breaking news email until nearly an hour after Biden’s announcement.

The President’s absence may also be aimed at helping Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party. Biden is unpopular and was widely projected to lose to Trump even before his disastrous debate in late June. By staying out of the spotlight, Biden could allow attention to shift to Harris as she begins her campaign, though growing concern about Biden may undermine that effort.

“Is this the last time Joe Biden will ever be seen in public as president, or even alive?” conservative commentator Matt Walsh asked. “Not a crazy thing to wonder at the moment.”

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is UnHerd’s US correspondent.

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