A new report is detailing just how much time President Joe Biden has spent at his properties in Delaware since taking office.
CNN reported on Monday, “It’s a familiar weekly ritual. As of this point in his presidency, Biden has spent more than a quarter of his time working from his home state of Delaware, either at his house in Wilmington or his Rehoboth Beach property.”
“Some 21 months into his term, Biden has made 55 visits to Delaware, totaling some or all of 174 days as of Sunday, according to a CNN analysis of presidential schedules and a tally kept by Mark Knoller, the longtime unofficial statistician of the White House press corps. In addition, Biden has made 19 visits, or all or part of 64 days, to the Camp David presidential retreat in rural Maryland,” it continued.
The story added, “He has now surpassed even the getaway time of former President Donald Trump, so often criticized by Democrats for his regular departures from the White House to stay at one of his personal homes.”
At this point in his presidency, former President Donald Trump “had spent about 135 days at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, or his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. Additionally, he spent 23 days at Camp David.”
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told the network, “President Biden is deeply proud of his roots and his family and it has been a staple of his time in public life to never lose touch with either.”
“Presidents of the United States are constantly on the job, regardless of their location – whether they’re on a state visit overseas or just 100 miles from the White House for a short trip to Wilmington, DE. And as all Americans can agree, it’s important for leaders to avoid becoming ensconced in Washington, DC,” he added.
Meanwhile, Michael LaRosa, a former press secretary to First Lady Jill Biden, said, “It is 2022, not 1922. If the rest of the country can work from home, so can the president of the United States.”
LaRosa also said it is “nothing new” because Biden “spent (practically) every weekend in Delaware during his 36 years in the Senate, and his eight years as vice president.”
And as CNN points out, American presidents are “never truly ‘off,'” so it is not as though Biden is taking weekend vacations all the time.
Veteran journalist Mark Knoller told CNN the White House “may look luxurious, but it can be suffocating to live and work there day in and out.”
While some conservatives have taken issue with the president’s trips to Delaware because of a lack of transparency — the Secret Service told the New York Post it does not have records of who has visited Biden’s Delaware residences — another issue is the hypocrisy involved.
As Biden delivers speeches warning about climate change and his administration pushes Americans to buy electric cars — despite well-documented horror stories involving the vehicles — he is frequently mobilizing a massive motorcade, a helicopter, and the presidential plane to escape the White House.
It is true Biden cannot just hop on Amtrak with a duffle bag and head up to Delaware. He does need protection and privacy during his travels due to his job.
But he is not obligated to go to Delaware almost every weekend because the White House is “suffocating.”
If Biden wants Americans to deal with the potential inconveniences of electric vehicles, he should be setting the example by not jetting off to Delaware in a massive jet with an enormous motorcade of gas-guzzling SUVs so frequently.
