Biden infuriates Democrats with post-COVID "I'm sick" tweet

• "I doubt Joe Biden approved that tweet. Not helpful at all," said one House Democrat who has stayed largely silent on Biden's candidacy since the debate.
• The lawmaker added: "They need to read the room."
• A Biden campaign official said it ranked only behind a post after Trump's conviction for top fundraising social media posts of the year.

Between the lines: Democrats who spoke to Axios for this story were granted anonymity to speak candidly about their concerns over Biden's candidacy as he recovers from COVID.

• Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said in a post on X after Biden tested positive, but before the "I'm sick" post, "Fellow House Democrats, can we in this moment unify, show some decency, and simply wish [Biden] a speedy and full recovery?"
• "Please do not use this moment to advance your own political agenda by launching more private or public attacks on Biden," he added.
• Several House and Senate Democrats offered well wishes, with Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who has called for Biden to withdraw, posting on X that he and his wife wished Biden "a full and quick recovery from Covid."

Driving the news: Biden was scheduled to appear at a UnidosUS conference in Nevada on Wednesday, but the organization's president announced he would be unable to make it after testing positive for COVID.

• Biden's official presidential X account confirmed the news roughly an hour and 20 minutes later, posting: "I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes."
• Simultaneously, Biden's campaign account posted, "I'm sick," followed two minutes later with "of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election. And if you agree, pitch in here," and a donation link.

What we're hearing: Another House Democrat who has largely held their fire on Biden since the debate told Axios, "Congressional Democrats are also sick."

• "Sick of the gaslighting, sick of the inaction, and sick of people in positions of power protecting a president about to lose the White House while taking the House with him," the lawmaker said, calling the post "pathetic."
• A third House Democrat, who has also largely avoided weighing in on Biden's candidacy publicly, called the post "strange."

• "What ... in the world is this humor," exclaimed a fourth House Democrat, who has been more openly critical of the president.

The other side: "The Trump campaign and its billionaire donors and dark money are going to be spending an unprecedented amount of resources," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a staunch Biden ally, pointing to Musk's pledge to donate $45 million a month to a pro-Trump super PAC.

• "So I don't have a problem with witty humor in trying to get donations. I actually thought it was a clever way of probably getting campaign donations, and I think we're likely to see it probably worked," he added.

Zoom out: Biden has faced a persistent rebellion on Capitol Hill from lawmakers with concerns about his ability to win the 2024 election – including Democratic leadership.

• It emerged Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) all warned Biden in private conversations that his candidacy could hurt down-ballot Democrats.

What to watch: Some Democratic lawmakers hope Biden's convalescence will lead to him ultimately deciding to bow out of the race.

• "It forces some down time in Rehoboth to reflect on things, which can only be a good thing," a fifth House Democrat told Axios.
• The Biden campaign did not immediately provide comment for this story.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.