President Joe Biden spent more than 1/3 of the year away from the White House — either on vacation, at Camp David, or in Delaware — in 2023.
A report published Sunday by The New York Post stated that the president spent a total of 138 days — which amounts to 37% of the year — in one of those three places. And even as the report was published, Biden was still on vacation with his family in St. Croix, the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Biden’s proclivity for time away from the White House did not just develop in 2023 — in fact, he has spent some 417 days of his term so far on vacation.
“Biden has arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he’ll spend the rest of the year at the beach. Biden has spent 417 days — 39% of his presidency — on vacation,” @RNCResearch posted via X on Wednesday, as Biden began his most recent trip.
Biden has arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he'll spend the rest of the year at the beach.
Biden has spent 417 days — 39% of his presidency — on vacation. pic.twitter.com/JWYXvGrvIv
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 27, 2023
According to a 2o22 report from The Daily Mail, Biden’s pace thus far puts him on track to spend more days vacationing than any president in history. If he continues to spend 39% of his presidency on vacation, the total over two terms will be 1,106 days — just over three full years.
By comparison, former President Donald Trump spent 381 days away from the White House during his term in office — and former President Barack Obama spent a total of 328 days on vacation over the course of two terms.
Former President George W. Bush spent 1,o2o days away from the White House during his two terms in office — nearly half of which he spent clearing brush at his ranch in Texas — but Biden is on pace to outmatch him.
Biden has often been criticized for the timing of his trips as well, leaving Washington when crises loom — or spending a week in Lake Tahoe (and just a few hours in Maui) as Hawaii reeled in the aftermath of devastating wildfires.