President Biden spent more than a third of last year in a getaway location — whether one of his Delaware residences, a posh vacation spot or Camp David, according to a Post review of public records.
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief was away at one of the relaxing spots or famous retreats for 138 days in 2023, or 37% of the time.
Delaware was a favorite place for the president, who spent 90 days, including frequent weekends and an extended vacation, at his personal residence in the fashionable Wilmington suburb of Greenville or his sun-and-sand hideaway in Rehoboth.
He spent 22 days, including travel time, on official vacation in total in 2023. That time was enjoyed at his homes in Delaware or in St. Croix, Lake Tahoe or Nantucket.
He was also at Camp David for 26 days, not including the two days he spent preparing and getting ready for a trilateral summit.
Biden’s number of getaway days in 2023 was only slightly lower than in 2022, when he spent more than 38% of that year in the same places.
The data involves full or partial days the president spent at the sites.
Jill Biden (L) sits with Joe Biden (R) on the beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on August 13, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
The White House has maintained that the president can work from anywhere and does not have to stay in Washington, DC to do his job.
“The president has taken 16 days of vacation this year, and even on those days he has worked,” deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton insisted to the Post in an emailed statement. “Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Americans watched the President make a series of calls to foreign heads of state before announcing a deal to release the Gaza hostages the next day. The fact is that the president works every day of the week, whether he is in Washington, Delaware, Camp David or anywhere else, and those around him and the journalists who cover him closely know it.”
Dalton also pointed to Republicans in Congress.
“These fictional attacks on the president are even more absurd coming from Republicans in Congress, who left power in December without doing their job to fund the government or our national security priorities,” the representative said.
Biden, who historically traveled by Amtrak out of DC when he was a senator, leads all recent presidents in terms of days outside Washington. George HW Bush was his closest competitor and spent 36% of his presidency in a getaway location, according to calculations.
Former President Donald Trump, who liked to spend time at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was out of town for 26% of his time in the White House.
The Bidens stayed for free in the US Virgin Islands, at the luxurious three-bedroom villa owned by billionaire Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville. Calabash Real Estate
Biden took a notable five vacations in 2023, frequently staying at lavish properties thanks to his Democratic benefactors.
The first family began in 2023 in an elegant compound on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, owned by billionaire Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville. The Bidens enjoyed the Nevilles’ impressive $4 million property for free.
In August alone, Biden spent 20 days in Delaware or vacationing at his 2020 Democratic rival Tom Steyer’s $20 million Lake Tahoe estate.
Biden speaks to reporters after taking a Pilates and spinning class in South Lake Tahoe, California, in August. REUTERS
The White House said the Bidens were renting the property to Steyer for “fair market value.”
Joe and Jill Biden eventually flew to Hawaii from the Lake Tahoe estate to assess the damage caused by the Maui wildfires before soon returning to Nevada.
Some vacation days allow Biden to exercise and relax and also take a break from the goings-on in the Oval Office. Biden admitted in August that she didn’t “know enough” about the details surrounding the death of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeney Prizoghin because he was in a spin class for an “hour and a half.”
For Thanksgiving, Biden’s family stayed at David Rubenstein’s Nantucket estate for the third year in a row. The private equity magnate’s property is valued at $38.9 million, is situated on nearly 14 acres and features a private pool, jacuzzi and tennis court.
Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden wave as they bike along a trail at Gordons Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S., July 31, 2023. REUTERS The president walks with his granddaughter Maisy Biden while visiting Local shops in Nantucket. Mass., in November. AP
The president’s advisers declined to reveal to the Post whether the first family paid for their six-day stay at the Massachusetts mansion.
Biden then returned to St. Croix to finish out 2023 and stayed free with his “friends,” the Nevilles. The first family stayed at the resort for six days free of charge.
Your free stay is valued at more than $6,000, according to the rental listing on VRBO.
Biden ended 2023 on vacation in St. Croix. Calabash Real Estate
Multiple free vacations during Biden’s presidency have raised questions among ethicists after he failed to disclose the trips on his annual financial forms. The gifts have been compared to trips taken by conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas with real estate billionaire Harlan Crow, stays that drew the ire of Democrats.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn