![Las Vegas authorities were alerted to possible 'medical issue' involving Biden, began closing roads](https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/las-vegas-authorities-were-alerted-to-possible-medical-issue-involving-biden-began-closing-roads.jpg?id=52963918&width=1245&height=700&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C82)
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'We were ready ... to address any needs that the president needed.'
Members of Joe Biden's security detail and the staff at a nearby hospital were all put on high alert after the president apparently suffered some kind of health scare during a recent visit to Las Vegas.
Last Wednesday, Biden's team had to cut his trip to Sin City short after the president began feeling under the weather. Though COVID was the ultimate diagnosis, many in Las Vegas were under the impression that Biden had experienced a much more serious medical condition and began to prepare accordingly.
'We did not know the nature of his illness. As a precaution, LVMPD proactively began to shut down roads leading to UMC Hospital.'
Citing more than six officers assigned to Biden's security detail that day, Jordan Schachtel of the Dossier reported that dispatchers made a call over the radio requesting a "surge" of assistance because Biden was having what Schachtel called an "unspecified medical emergency." Officers then began closing down roads and securing the area so that Biden could quickly be transported to University Medical Center located on W. Charleston Blvd. just west of the Las Vegas Strip.
KSNV-TV likewise reported that UMC hospital "was on standby" on Wednesday "after being alerted about a possible medical issue with President Joe Biden Wednesday afternoon while he was visiting Southern Nevada."
A follow-up report from Connor Surmonte of Radar Online included statements from local officials confirming the alerts regarding Biden's health.
UMC CEO Mason VanHouweling told Radar Online that his hospital was prepared to provide whatever medical assistance was required. "We were ready and stood ready to be able to address any needs that the president needed," VanHouweling said.
"We knew we were dealing with more of a medical issue – definitely trauma and any accidents were off the table. We shifted gears to be able to address a medical need here at UMC."
Las Vegas Metro Police Department also provided a statement verifying the reports of an "illness" and noting that Biden flew out of town shortly thereafter:
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was notified that President Joe Biden was sick on July 17th during his visit to Las Vegas.
We did not know the nature of his illness. As a precaution, LVMPD proactively began to shut down roads leading to UMC Hospital. The Secret Service then advised LVMPD the President was going directly to Harry Reid International Airport and would be leaving Las Vegas.
Officials aboard Air Force One were not playing around. They flew "so fast" to the airport in Dover, Delaware, that day that "the plane shook," according to Daily Mail senior White House correspondent Emily Goodin.
Some were quick to slam Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who first mentioned Biden's apparent emergency in Las Vegas in a social media post that quickly went viral on Monday. Newsweek claimed that "rumors" about Biden's "medical emergency" had been "debunked" and suggested that Kirk's post was just another in a long line of "questionable theories" propagated by the "right-wing commentator."
However, Newsweek failed to note that Kirk had clearly issued the tweet in hopes of learning more information about the "weird lead" he had received regarding Biden's health. At that point, Kirk had not fully investigated the matter.
Moreover, some of the statements Kirk made in the post turned out to be true, including that LVMPD officers had learned of "an emergency situation involving Joe Biden" and that they should "close necessary streets so that POTUS could be transported immediately to University Medical."
Schachtel partnered with TPUSA for his report but did not mention working with Kirk specifically.
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