Biden continues vacation for second straight week despite saying he will 'work like hell' until end of term
President Biden began his second straight week of vacation Monday, providing more fodder for critics who insist he is not finishing out his term with very much vigor.
Biden arrived at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, beach house Sunday, where he will remain until at least Saturday, according to The New York Post. The president arrived following a six-night vacation stay with his family the following week at Democratic Party donor Joe Kiani's California ranch estate. Biden's also reportedly has no public events scheduled while he is at the beach this week.
The lame duck president has been criticized for overusing vacation time when he is supposed to be the leader of the free world. During the third anniversary of the Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 American soldiers on Monday, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby was pressed by a reporter on whether Biden is simply a "ceremonial figure" at this point.
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"My goodness, he talked to Prime Minister Modi today. He had calls with leaders in the region and in Europe, President Zelenskyy, last week. He monitored in real time what was going on over the weekend. I mean, come on," Kirby said of Biden. "The president is on vacation, but you can never unplug from a job like that, nor does he try to… He’s very much in command of making sure we can continue to protect our national security interests here at home and certainly overseas."
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Meanwhile, shortly after bowing out of the race to win re-election in July, Biden told reporters he is "not going anywhere" and intended to "work like hell" until the end of his term in January 2025. "Over the next six months, I’ll be focused on doing my job as president," Biden added during a July 24 Oval Office address, which was only the third speech he had given from the Resolute desk since becoming commander in chief.
Sources differ on the exact number of days that Biden has spent on vacation during his presidency. Data from the Republican National Committee claims that after serving roughly two years and seven months as president, Biden spent about 40% of his time on vacation.
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House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., alongside other congressional Republicans, have called on Biden's Cabinet to consider invoking the 25th Amendment, which allows for the vice president to take over the president's duties if he is unable to fulfill the responsibilities necessary to run the White House. Democrats similarly sought to invoke the 25th Amendment during the final days of former President Trump's time in office.
"Who is running the country?" several social media users asked Thursday, including Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. "An Armed Illegal Alien Street Gang from Venezuela Seizes an Apartment Complex in Aurora, Colorado—Residents Terrified! Meanwhile, Joe Biden is on his second vacation in two weeks and Kamala Harris is preparing for her first interview in 40 days."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response.