President Joe Biden Heads to the Caribbean as Millions of Americans Struggle to Get Home. There are likely millions of Americans on Wednesday who may envy the fact that President Joe Biden and family quickly boarded Air Force One and headed to the St. Croix, reported to be one of the presidents and First Lady Jill Biden’s most beloved vacation spots.
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Those Americans may not actually want to join the Biden clan; rather they just want to get home after waiting in long lines at airports across the country as tens of thousands of flights were canceled over the holiday weekend.
Last week’s early winter storm was the Grinch that stole Christmas for millions who couldn’t make it to see their loved ones, while others may not be able to get a flight until this coming weekend at the earliest.
Those who may be upset that the Biden family was able to get away so easily probably won’t take much comfort in the fact that the president and family skipped the U.S. Virgin Island tradition the last two years.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, Biden and his family were forced to spend their Christmas and New Year’s holidays at their home in Delaware.
This is President Biden’s first trip to the Caribbean territory since taking office, and he has also become the first sitting president to visit the Virgin Islands since Harry Truman delivered a speech there in 1948.
The White House has said that Biden will use the holiday break to decide whether he will run for a second term. While he has previously indicated that he will run, no formal decision has been made.
Travel Crisis At Home
The fact that Biden is heading to the tropics while many Americans are still struggling to get anywhere was quickly noted by many of his critics.
Travel chaos, widespread power outages, and single-digit weather conditions have continued across the Midwest and East Coast this week.
In western New York, at least 32 people died in Buffalo’s Erie County, which was hit with more than four feet of snow.
In addition, upwards of 20,000 migrants are now held up near El Paso hoping to cross the border.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered that Title 42 border restrictions would remain in place. However, the border crisis has remained an unresolved issue since Biden took office.
However, the White House has defended the trip.
“No matter where the President is, he is working,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement. “The President will continue to closely monitor updates and will remain in close touch with staff over the New Year.”
Where is Biden Staying And Who is Paying?
The New York Post reported that it is unclear who owns the vacation property where Biden and his family are staying, or even whether Biden will pick up the tab. However, he has a long record of staying for free at the houses of wealthy Democratic donors, the paper added.
That wasn’t an issue to Del. Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat who represents the Virgin Islands in Congress. She said of the president’s vacation trip, “We’re tremendously honored.” She added, “In the past, when he and his family have come, of course sightings of President Biden were almost a thing of legend.”
Biden’s frequent getaways have been noted by the media and his critics. As CNN reported last year, the president routinely likes to “decamp” to his home in Wilmington for the weekends as much as he can. Joe Biden has described the White House as a “gilded cage.”
Apparently, for the New Year celebrations, Wilmington wasn’t good enough, however.
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Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
