In 2019, the left-leaning Washington Post criticized then President Donald Trump over how often he went on vacation.
However, another liberal news outlet has just acknowledged that President Joe Biden has spent even more time away from the White House than his predecessor did.
Biden away from White House 248 days
According to a report published on Monday, CNN contributor Kate Bennett, Biden “has now surpassed even the getaway time of former President Donald Trump.”
“At this point in his tenure, Trump had spent about 135 days at either his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, or his home at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey,” Bennett wrote.
In addition, Trump also spent a total of 23 full or partial days at Camp David, a presidential retreat located in rural Maryland.
By contrast, Biden has spent “some or all of 174 days as of Sunday” vacationing in Delaware according to her the president’s schedule. What’s more, Biden has also been at Camp David for all or part of 64 days.
For his part, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates provided a statement to CNN in which he defended the president’s schedule.
“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,” Bates said.
“Constantly on the job”
“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,” the press secretary continued.
“And as all Americans can agree, it’s important for leaders to avoid becoming ensconced in Washington, DC,” Bates concluded.
Michael LaRosa is a public relations consultant who formerly served as press secretary to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and he also came to the president’s defense.
“It is 2022, not 1922. If the rest of the country can work from home, so can the president of the United States,” LaRosa was quoted as saying. “He spent (practically) every weekend in Delaware during his 36 years in the Senate, and his eight years as vice president. This is nothing new. The Bidens have never lived in Washington, DC.”