President Joe Biden has truly redefined the modern presidency, not just with his record number of unconstitutional policies and lack of leadership, but also with the astonishing amount of time he has spent on vacation. In just under four years, Biden has racked up an astonishing 532 days of vacation time, a feat that would take the average American worker roughly 48 years to accomplish, according to Republican National Committee (RNC) data and a tally by the New York Post. In other words, nearly 40% of Biden's time in office has been spent, well, not in office.
Excessive vacation time
“Biden today enjoyed his 16th consecutive vacation day relaxing at the beach. He has spent a total of 532 days on vacation (40.3% of his presidency). Who's running the country?” the Republican National Committee posted on August 31.
This staggering 40 percent absence rate puts President Biden far ahead of his predecessors in terms of vacation time, as reported by The Washington Post. Former President Donald Trump, who was often criticized for his frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago, spent just 26 percent of his presidency outside of Washington. Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama spent just 11 percent of their presidencies on personal travel. Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter must have missed the memo: he took just 79 days off during his entire term, just 5 percent of his time in office.
Criticism
In a follow-up article on Monday, The Washington Post editorial board wrote:
The president is right: he managed to destroy the economy, cause a global catastrophe, and open up the US borders, all in a half-day shift…
As rising prices plague Americans and war rages between Ukraine and Israel, what could be more emblematic of modern progressive politics than Joe asleep in a beach chair?
Mark Paoletta, who served in the Trump administration, agreed, and was not shy about Biden's apparent love of R&R.
The image of Biden lying on his back in a beach chair, fast asleep, while America and the world burn, will define the Biden administration.
Other Republicans also began criticizing Biden's leisurely pace. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) suggested Biden should have taken more vacations. “We would all be happier if he did less and took more vacations,” she joked. She pointed to Biden's reversal of Trump-era border policies and his response to rising energy and food costs.
The Republican National Committee, which reportedly tracks Biden's vacation time, has previously suggested the reason for such a loose schedule is the president's declining mental state.
“Given Biden's dwindling stamina and tendency to ramble on and on, it's no secret why he's standing alone: He's not the right man for the job,” Republican National Committee spokesman Jake Schneider argued to the Washington Examiner in early January.
Some observers, such as InfoWars' Chase Geiser, have suggested the president is getting paid to work on his tan instead of performing his duties as president.
Who is running the country?
Many commentators, as well as the Republican National Committee, continue to raise the question that has persisted throughout Biden's presidency, which has been marked by confusion, gaffes and countless incoherent moments: Who is really running the country?
“I forget that Biden is still technically in charge of this country,” posted Elon Musk, who recently endorsed Trump.
Lou Rockwell, founder of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, posted an essay by James Kunstler that reads in part:
Meanwhile, with “Joe Biden” so often off the clock, spending his time on the beach, not attending Cabinet meetings and likely not being consulted on the many things being done in his name, many are beginning to wonder who is running the country.
Some may recall the memorandums on delegation of functions and authorities (here and here) that Biden signed in July. Through these memoranda, Biden delegated responsibility for various functions to other government leaders, including the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Energy, and Director of the Office of Management and Budget. These responsibilities include budget management, oversight of military programs, and command of certain operations. By delegating these functions, the administration is ostensibly enabling itself to handle military matters more efficiently.
The question of who holds real power in the U.S. government has resurfaced with more intensity following the presidential debate between Trump and Biden, where Biden's declining cognitive abilities were revealed.
At the time, Australian journalist Caitlin Johnston astutely pointed out:
(Americans) already know to some extent that the US President does not actually rule the US….
If Americans really believed that the president was running the country, they should panic that Biden was going crazy and ordering an attack on what he still thinks is the Soviet Union, or nuking Libya to kill Muammar Gaddafi.
“Not so,” she wrote, because the country is run by “unelected imperial executives.”
Journalist Glenn Greenwald echoed similar sentiments, posting on Monday:
The United States does not have a functioning president, and has not had one for months. Because a permanent, unelected body runs the government, this is barely noticeable and hardly matters.
Working from home?
The Republican National Committee considers any time Biden spends away from Washington a vacation, but the White House maintains that the president is not completely away from his duties, even when he is away from office. Biden himself has stressed his intention to “work hard” for the remainder of his term, both as president and as a supporter of Kamala Harris' campaign, after dropping out of the 2024 race.
White House press secretary Andrew Bates rejected the criticism, arguing that Biden actually takes fewer vacation days than the average for modern presidents.
It's no surprise that the same geniuses who attack President Biden for petting hero dogs and liking ice cream can't count, but he takes fewer vacation days than the average modern president and works hard every day, wherever he is.
According to the paper, presidential aides have consistently maintained that Biden, like his predecessors, has continued to work remotely during his absence and is prepared to deal with urgent issues while he is away.
