Air Force One was flying so fast that I was shaking in my seat.

Less than 30 minutes ago, my colleagues in the White House press corps and I had received word – just before the rest of the world – that President Biden had been diagnosed with COVID.

Now we were joining him on a mad rush back from Las Vegas to the Bidens’ Rehoboth Beach getaway in Delaware.

Moments after fastening my seatbelt, the massive engines of the presidential Boeing 747 roared to life.

The flight attendants, in their custom blue uniforms, stumbled in the aisles as the jet’s nose pointed skyward.

Tray tables shook. Reporters held up their water glasses so they wouldn’t spill.

Most concerning, though, was that we had no idea what was going on.

For security reasons, there is no Wi-Fi on Air Force One, so we were cut off from the outside world.

A doctor always travels with the President, but no word came on the type of care he was receiving or how ill he was.

Twice, we asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who was also onboard, to give us an update on Biden’s condition.

Twice, we were denied.

Even if she had spoken to us, there would have been no way to know what was coming.

That the president wouldn’t be seen again in public for nearly a week.

And that in less than four days’ time, his 52-year career in politics would come to a dramatic end.

After all, Biden’s week had begun on a high note.

On Monday, July 15, despite escalating calls from within the Democratic party for the president to quit the 2024 race, he appeared to be in a jovial mood when he arrived in the afternoon at Joint Base Andrews, outside of Washington DC.

I was standing with the press pool – reporters from more than a dozen media organizations – waiting for him on the tarmac.

As he disembarked his helicopter, Marine One, I waved and beckoned for him to come take our questions.

To my surprise, he did, breaking into his characteristic, stiff half-jog.

This would be the first time he’d spoken to us since the attempted assassination of Donald Trump two days prior.

‘What’s your question,’ Biden asked me.

‘Do you trust your Secret Service detail?’ I replied.

‘Yes, I do,’ he responded.

‘What’s your opinion of J.D. Vance,’ asked another.

A Trump ‘clone’, he said.

And with that, Biden walked off, boarding Air Force One for a flight to Vegas where he was due to address both the yearly civil rights NAACP National Convention — and the Hispanic UnidosUS conference.

The next day (Tuesday), the President delivered one of his more impressive teleprompter speeches at the NAACP convention.

It was the type of event that, his supporters said, proved his capability to fight and win against Trump in November.

But by Wednesday at noon, it was a dramatically different story.

The President was running about an hour behind schedule.

This wasn’t unusual. He’s habitually late.

Eventually, he departed the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where he had been staying, getting into his armored limousine, the Beast, in an underground garage and out of sight of reporters.

Vans carrying the press corps joined the president’s 20-plus car motorcade and we arrived at Lindo Michoacan, a famous Mexican restaurant in downtown Vegas.

I checked my watch, it was 1.09pm local time.

We were then ushered inside ahead of the president to capture his arrival.

Biden would enter through the kitchen, we were told. Photographers had their cameras ready, wanting to capture a stylish photo of the president framed in the glass window of the door between the kitchen and dining room.

But suddenly, the Secret Service covered the window with a towel.

‘Hey,’ we yelled at the agents. But they didn’t listen. Why they wanted to block that specific shot, when Biden would be pictured moments later in the dining room regardless, we still don’t know.

When he finally stepped through the door, his appearance was shocking.

He looked pale, weak, exhausted and shuffled slowly across the room.

‘He looks bad,’ one reporter muttered.

We all agreed.

Biden greeted the patrons, shaking hands with families at three different tables and posing for selfies.

He then sat at a booth and chatted with a few customers.

Sensing an opening, reporters shouted questions about California Rep. Adam Schiff, a close ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the latest Democrat to call on Biden to exit the presidential race.

But White House staff immediately shouted us down.

‘Thank you, press,’ they yelled back, before shuffling us out of the room and back to our vans in the parking lot.

There we’d sit while Biden conducted a radio interview scheduled to take about 20 minutes. So, we got burritos and waited… and waited… and waited.

30 minutes passed. 60 minutes turned into 90 .

Secret Service agents, afraid that our vans would overheat in the searing Vegas sun, popped open the hoods of our vehicles which were running the air conditioning on full blast.

We repeatedly asked about the delay – but received no updates.

It’s precisely this lack of communication that breeds suspicions among reporters — as well as wild conspiracies about the president’s health on social media and elsewhere.

Finally, a colleague got wind of a tip.

The president’s next scheduled event at UnidosUS had been canceled.

‘Biden has COVID,’ my colleague shouted.

Moments later, we could see Karine Jean-Pierre and other senior Biden staff piling into their vans.

But the Beast was sheltered under a giant tent – which is, to be totally transparent, normal protocol – meaning we couldn’t catch a glimpse of the sick president.

At 3.10pm, the motorcade finally started rolling.

We weren’t told where we were going – but there was only one likely destination: the airport.

At 3.12pm, an official statement from Jean-Pierre hit our inboxes.

‘President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all his duties fully during that time,’ the email read.

The motorcade raced through empty streets, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

‘Just go,’ we called out to our driver as we arrived at Harry Reid International Airport. We all pushed our way out of the van and ran to get close to Air Force One.

The Secret Service held us back as Biden stepped out of the Beast, six staff and agents forming a circle around him.

‘How are you feeling, sir?’ we yelled.

He gave a thumbs-up: ‘I feel good!’

But as he walked slowly towards the plane, we knew that wasn’t the case.

The president inched up the shortened gangway — built-in stairs near the front of the plane that he’s been using instead of the traditional, longer staircase for more than a year now.

Once he was on board, we reporters rushed to find our seats in the back of the plane.

And nearly from the moment we lifted off the runway, the fuselage began to shake.

It’s not entirely uncommon for Air Force One pilots to drop the hammer.

President Trump routinely asked his crew to cut down flight times by going faster. But this break-neck speed was unusual for President Biden.

Our tray tables trembled as dinner was served. Water glasses slid around. Bags stowed under seats slammed into people’s legs.

I could physically feel the speed of the aircraft as we hurtled through the air, pushing me back. I felt nauseous.

We were fed steak and potatoes but no information. Despite our requests and our lack of internet access, no senior staffer came back to brief us on the latest developments.

The normal flight time from Vegas to Delaware is around four and a half hours. We made the trip in three hours and 48 minutes.

Our destination was Dover Air Force Base — the closest suitable airport to Biden’s Rehoboth home.

Touching down, we rushed into position once more on the tarmac to watch the president deplane. And as the steps of Air Force One were lowered, we waited anxiously under the wing.

He began his exit at 10:29pm (EST), still looking pale and frail. He stepped down gingerly, then paused and waved.

Half way down, and for a few seconds, he stared off into space, until a Secret Service agent gently tapped his shoulder.

The touch seemed to rouse him and he continued down, appearing so unsteady that I was worried he would fall.

But he sluggishly made it to his SUV and shakily climbed inside for the hour-long ride to Rehoboth.

I re-boarded Air Force One for a flight back to Joint Base Andrews.

In little more than 72 hours, the president would announce from his beach house — in a simple tweeted letter — that he was withdrawing from the 2024 election race.