Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he hadn’t yet been tested for coronavirus.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, made the acknowledgment when a reporter asked whether he could meet potential running mates in person to vet them. He was speaking at an in-person campaign event in Wilmington, Del., where he also urged more testing and contact tracing to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Biden wouldn‘t elaborate on his vetting process for a potential running mate, but said that he would “have a choice in the first week in August.“
Biden has opted to largely conduct campaign events virtually amid the pandemic, which President Donald Trump has mocked by saying the former vice president is hiding in his basement. Trump and his allies have characterized Biden’s campaign strategy as burrowing away amid a national emergency, failing to make himself available to public questioning.
But Biden has made occasional in-person appearances since early June, including to pay respects to the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) on Monday as he lies in state. Though Biden wore a mask, he was in the company of dozens of lawmakers in the Capitol.
Biden said on Thursday that he spoke to Lewis on his deathbed.
“He asked about me, he asked about us,” Biden said. “He asked that we stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation.”
Campaigning amid the pandemic is a major concern for the 77-year-old candidate, whose age makes him more vulnerable to the disease. Trump has said that he has been tested multiple times per week. Members of his staff and reporters in his orbit are also routinely tested for coronavirus.
Holly Otterbein contributed to this report.
