President Joe Biden traded the hustle and bustle of Washington, D.C., to travel to the Caribbean to ring in the New Year, days after spending Christmas at Camp David.
Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, departed for St. Croix in the Virgin Islands on Wednesday ahead of New Year’s Eve, according to The New York Times. The White House did not reveal where the president and first lady would be staying or if additional people would be joining them.
The trip to the Caribbean comes after Biden’s most recent trip to Camp David marked his 30th visit, according to Mark Knoller, a former CBS News White House correspondent.
By my count, this is Biden’s 30th visit to Camp David, his first time at Christmas. Will bring days spent there to 102. Compares with predecessors at same point in office:
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) December 23, 2023
-Trump: 11 visits/25 days
-Obama: 22/54
-GWBush: 74/235
Knoller estimated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Biden’s Christmas visit to Camp David marked his 30th visit, having spent a total of 102 days there.
In comparison, former President Donald Trump visited Camp David a total of 11 times for 25 days altogether.
Former President Barack Obama on the other hand visited Camp David 22 times for 54 days.
Meanwhile, former President George W. Bush visited Camp David for a total of 235 days over 74 visits.
Biden’s visit also comes as he has faced continued criticism over his support for Israel in the war against Hamas and amid continued low approval ratings.
A Gallup poll from Dec. 22 showed that Biden’s approval rating sat at 39%, an increase from 37% in October and November.
Another poll from Monmouth University on Dec. 18 found that Biden’s approval rating sat at 34%, with 61% expressing disapproval at Biden’s job performance.
A New York Times/Siena poll from Dec. 19 showed Trump leading Biden by two points. In the same poll, 43% of people expressed strong disapproval of Biden’s job handling, while 12% said they strongly approve.
