President Biden spent more than a third of the past year on vacation — either one of his Delaware residences, a luxury vacation site or Camp David, according to a Post review of public records.
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief was away from one of his famous relaxation or retreat locations for 138 days in 2023 — or 37% of that time.
Delaware is a favorite spot for the president, who spends 90 days, including frequent weekends and one extended vacation, either at his private residence in the tony Wilmington suburb of Greenville or his sun-and-sand hideaway in Rehoboth.
He spent 22 days, including travel time, on official vacation in 2023. That time was enjoyed either at his Delaware home or in St. Croix, Lake Tahoe or Nantucket.
He was also at Camp David for 26 days, not including the two days he prepared and prepared for the trilateral summit.
Biden’s number of vacation days in 2023 is only slightly less than in 2022, when he spent more than 38% of the year in the same location.
The data covers the full or partial days the president spent on site.
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 the president can work from anywhere and does not have to live in Washington, DC, to do his job.
“The president has taken 16 vacation days this year, and even on those days, he has worked,” deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton pointed out to The Post in an emailed statement. “Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Americans watched the President make numerous calls to foreign heads of state before announcing an agreement to free the hostages from Gaza the next day. The fact is: The president works every day of the week whether he’s in Washington, Delaware, Camp David, or wherever — and the people around him and the reporters who cover it know it very well.”
Dalton also pointed to Republicans in Congress.
“This trumped-up attack on the President is even more ridiculous coming from Republicans in Congress, who left in December without doing their job to fund the government or our national security priorities,” the representative said.
Biden — who historically rode Amtrak to get out of DC while a senator — surpassed all recent presidents in terms of days away from Washington. George HW Bush is his closest competitor, spending 36% of his presidency on vacation, according to the calculations.
Former President Donald Trump, who likes to spend time at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, is out of town 26% of his time in the White House.
The Biden family lives for free in the US Virgin Islands in a luxury three-bedroom villa owned by billionaire Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville. Calabash Real Estate
Biden took five significant vacations in 2023, often staying at a luxury estate thanks to his Democratic benefactors.
The first family started in 2023 in a luxury estate in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands owned by billionaire Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville. The Bidens enjoy the Nevilles’ stunning $4 million estate for free.
In August alone, Biden spent 20 days either in Delaware or vacationing at his 2020 Democratic rival Tom Steyer’s $20 million Lake Tahoe estate.
Biden spoke to reporters after taking a Pilates and spin class in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., in August. Reuters
The White House said the Biden family rented the property from Steyer for “fair market value.”
Joe and Jill Biden finally left for Hawaii from their Lake Tahoe estate to survey the damage caused by the Maui wildfires before returning to Nevada.
A few vacation days allow Biden to exercise and rest and take a break from the goings-on in the Oval Office. Biden admitted in August that he did not “know enough” about the details of the death of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeney Prizoghin because he was in a spin class for “half an hour”.
For Thanksgiving, the Biden family stayed at David Rubenstein’s Nantucket estate for the third year in a row. The private equity mogul’s $38.9 million estate sits on nearly 14 acres and features a private pool, hot tub and tennis court.
Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden wave as they ride bicycles along the path at Gordons Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, US, July 31, 2023. REUTERS The president walks with his granddaughter Maisy Biden as she visits a local store in Nantucket, Mass., on the month of November. AP
Presidential aides declined to reveal to The Post whether the first family paid for their six-day stay at the Massachusetts mansion.
Biden then went to St. Croix again to finish 2023, living for free with his “friends”, the Neville family. The first family stays at the resort for six days for free.
Their free stay is worth more than $6,000, according to the rental listing on VRBO.
Biden ends his 2023 vacation in St. Croix. Calabash Real Estate
Biden’s multiple free vacations during his presidency have raised questions from ethicists after he failed to disclose the trips on his annual financial forms. The gift has been compared to a trip that conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took with real estate mogul Harlan Crow, a stopover that angered Democrats.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
