President Joe Biden has spent more days at his personal properties or at Camp David, the presidential retreat, in his first months in office than any other president in recent history.
Biden spent a total of 108 of his first 276 days in office either vacationing or working from one of his two Delaware homes or from Camp David, according to a CNN analysis of Biden’s schedule. That tally includes partial days when Biden split time between the White House and those other properties. Biden’s frequent absences come as his administration has faced a number of crises less than a year into his first term. As CNN reported:
A CNN analysis of Biden’s public schedule indicates the President has spent a significant amount of time away from the White House, particularly on weekends, since his January inauguration. Including this weekend’s trip to Delaware, Biden has taken 35 personal trips and spent all or part of 108 of his first 276 days in office at one of his Delaware homes or at Camp David in Maryland. That includes partial days, like Friday — when he spent the day at the White House and departed in the evening.
Sixty-nine of those 108 days away from Washington were spent at his home in Wilmington, spread over 23 visits; seven days at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, beach house over two visits; and 32 days at Camp David over 10 visits. …
While most presidents have prioritized taking time away from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, this is the most time a president has spent away from the White House on personal travel at this point in the presidency in recent history.
Biden’s current pace is far ahead of those of his last three predecessors: Former President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama, and former President George W. Bush. At the same point in their respective presidencies, Trump spent 70 full or partial days outside of D.C., Obama had spent 40 days, and Bush had spent 84 days.
Biden’s frequent absences from the White House come as his administration has struggled to handle multiple crises in his first months leading the United States, such as surging illegal immigration, chaos in Afghanistan, supply chain disfunction, rising fuel costs, and COVID-19.
The White House defended Biden’s schedule, insisting that although the president has been absent from Washington, D.C., he is still working “constantly” for the United States.
“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,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told CNN.
“Wherever he is, the President spends every day working to defeat the pandemic, to ensure our economy delivers for the middle class — not just those at the top — and to protect our national security. Also, as all Americans can agree, it’s important for leaders to avoid becoming ensconced in Washington, D.C.,” Bates added.
In addition to his lengthy time away from the White House, Biden also has been noticeably absent from the media. Through September, Biden had done just 10 extended interviews with journalists since taking office, far behind the number of interviews done by Trump or Obama. As The Daily Wire reported:
Biden’s number of interviews is nearly six times less than former President Donald Trump had done by the same time in his presidency. The difference is much more stark compared to former President Barack Obama, who had completed 131 interviews by the same time, according to former CBS White House reporter Mark Knoller.
Biden’s presidential interview count is also far off his pace when he was vice president in the Obama administration. By October 2009, Biden had completed roughly double the number of interviews he had as president. The dearth of interviews reflects the Biden administration’s “bunker mentality” and approach to the media, according to Politico.