President Joe Biden has faced a variety of significant hurdles during his first term in the White House. The border crisis, ongoing pandemic, Afghanistan, and skyrocketing inflation likely top the list.
In the wake of the difficulties the country faces, citizens assume POTUS is working overtime. Throw in a concerning rise in violence across the nation, and the President definitely has a lot on his plate.
And yet, Biden is on pace to be the most “absent” leader in a long time.
This weekend, Biden is going to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, to get some R&R at one of his two homes in the state. He typically escapes Washington on weekends, and all that time is piling up.
In fact, according to the Washington Examiner, “he spent more than a quarter of his first year in office in Delaware.”
So far, Biden has spent 188 full or partial days away from Capitol Hill. And if that pace keeps up, he’ll have racked up 553 total days away from the White House, which is a good deal more than his predecessors.
According to the estimated report:
If that pace holds, Biden will spend roughly 553 days away from the White House, which he has referred to as a ‘gilded cage,’ over his first term, or 1,106 days over two terms.
That’s good for tops in the modern history of the presidency. Former President Donald Trump spent 381 days away from the White House while in office, and former President Barack Obama spent 328 days out over two terms.
For more comparison, former President Bill Clinton spent 345 days away from Washington, so 3 of the 4 Presidents who came before Biden spent – on average – more than 200 days more in the White House.
President George Bush spent a lot of time at his ranch in Texas, amassing 1,020 absent days in 2 terms. However, he took a lot of flak for this, while Biden seems to be immune from any MSM pushback on this topic.
As for Donald Trump, he called his time off “working vacations,” and accused Obama of being a “habitual vacationer.”
But Biden not being in Washington so often is cause for plenty of criticism, especially as polls show the majority of citizens believe the country is heading in the “wrong direction.”
With national gas prices approaching an average of $5/gallon and the economy in a very tenuous spot, most residents would assume POTUS would have a full dance card.
After all, Biden’s approval ratings are reaching the lowest of his term (some showing a sub-40% rating), and Republicans are predicting a huge shift in power during the upcoming midterm elections.
And yet, Biden doesn’t appear to be working overtime to address any of the country’s most pressing issues.
Key Takeaways:
- President Joe Biden is on track to easily outpace his predecessors in terms of vacation time.
- Currently, Biden is on pace to spend 553 days away from the White House, much higher than either Trump or Obama.
- Given the polling and opinion of the country, many likely expect the President to be putting in more hours — not less.
Source: Washington Examiner
