New Delhi: After Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 US Presidential elections, social media has been abuzz with rumours that his health is deteriorating which is why he's been avoiding the public eye.
"Where's Joe" is among the top trends on X (formerly Twitter) globally with people wondering why the US President hasn't made a public appearance in the last five days. The truth: Biden has tested positive for Covid and is isolating, the White House said in a statement last week.
But that hasn't stopped social media users from coming up with theories about the 81-year-old. Several posts claiming that "Joe Biden is in hospice care and unlikely to survive the night" have gone viral on the social platform.
Another theory was floated by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance. The two leaders hit out at the Democratic party for a "coup" against President Biden to push him out of the race.
When asked if Biden's dropping out of the election was a "coup against Joe Biden," Donald Trump said "Sort of," before Vance jumped in.
"Yeah, I think it is. I mean, look, there's a constitutional process, the 25th Amendment. If Joe Biden can't run for president, he can't serve as president," Vance said in an interview with Fox News.
Biden's decision came after internal pressure by the Democratic Party mounted following a widely criticised debate against Trump on June 27. Vice-President Kamala Harris has won the support of the party's lawmakers to take Biden's place in the Presidential elections.
Joe Biden, after his shock announcement Sunday that he was dropping out of the race to the White House, urged his fellow Democrats on Monday to rally around Harris' candidacy.
"She's the best," he said, his voice still hoarse from Covid.
Harris has less than four months to convince the American public she has what it takes for highest office.
Donald Trump was in the lead in polls in the state against Joe Biden, but it is still too early to know whether he will maintain that lead against Kamala Harris.