President Joe Biden has addressed concerns about his time away from work, stating that his trips to Delaware and Rehoboth Beach should not be considered vacations. He explained that he currently has no primary home in Delaware due to ongoing security upgrades, and that he spends most weekends in the state. However, he emphasized that he is not on vacation and is only in Rehoboth Beach for one day.
Presidential Vacations Amid National Woes
Critical voices have been rising against President Biden for taking extended days off for vacation purposes.
Some of the harshest comments came following the disastrous Maui fires, which started on Aug. 8 and lasted through to the end of the month. According to the latest estimates, 115 people have been confirmed dead from the incident, thousands of acres of land have burned, and 385 people are missing.
“Biden doesn’t [care] about the suffering people of Maui. Or the suffering people of East Palestine, Ohio. Or the suffering people in border towns. Or the suffering people anywhere in America,” wrote Monica Crowley, a former U.S. Treasury Department assistant secretary for public affairs during the Trump administration, on social media.
Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake also criticized the commander in chief.
“One of the most beautiful places on earth has been reduced to cinders. In Delaware: @JoeBiden can’t be bothered to care. Putting America First means getting this joker out of the White House,” Ms. Lake wrote on social media.
On Aug. 18, the Bidens arrived in Lake Tahoe for a vacation, which followed a Delaware beach stay earlier in the month, National Review reported. While in Lake Tahoe, the president stayed in the mansion of climate activist and billionaire Tom Steyer.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was questioned by the press on whether the president should be working rather than vacationing when the fires were burning in Maui.
Cars destroyed by wildfire line remain Front Street in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“The [FEMA] administrator has been there for two whole days, two whole days on the ground by the president’s request to make sure that the government has what they have, the local government has what they have, the people of Maui have what they have,” replied Ms. Jean-Pierre, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “When you talk about a dozen agencies on the ground, helping and assisting … hundreds of FEMA personnel. That’s what—that’s what matters.”
When pressed again, she said that the president was “deeply concerned” and American citizens can expect to hear something from him directly.
“You could expect to hear from the president on this issue, clearly it is something that is deeply concerning to him,” she said. “You’ll hear from the president on this … certainly, he’s the president.”
After increasing criticism for not visiting Hawaii and a failure to offer appropriate comments during the start of the disaster, the president arrived in Maui on Aug. 22.
The response in Florida was relatively faster as the president reached Florida on Sept. 2. Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Aug. 30.
After the tour, the president addressed a group of onlookers and reporters.
“When people are in real trouble the most important thing you can give them is hope,” he said, NPR reported. “There’s no hope like your neighbor walking across the street to see what they can do for you or the local pastor or someone coming in and offering you help—it gives you hope.”
As for previous calamities, President Biden has not yet visited the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
A New Precedent
As of Aug. 27, President Biden has spent all or part of 382 of his presidency’s 957 days—nearly 40 percent—on personal overnight
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