President Joe Biden, 81, has commenced his second consecutive week of vacation with no public events scheduled, raising questions about his engagement in policy and legislative efforts during the final months of his term.
The president arrived at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, vacation home on Sunday after spending six days with his family at the Santa Ynez, California, ranch of Democratic donor Joe Kiani, whose company has received over $3 million in federal contracts since Biden took office.
Biden’s public schedule, released by the White House, indicates he will remain at the Delaware shore through Friday, with no official events planned.
This comes as former President Donald Trump, Biden’s potential 2024 opponent, made a public appearance at Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the Kabul airport bombing during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a tragedy that claimed the lives of nearly 200 people, including 13 American service members.
Despite pledging in a July 24 Oval Office address to focus on his presidential duties for the remainder of his term, Biden’s schedule has been sparse. The president had been pressured out of the 2024 campaign by fellow Democrats concerned about his mental acuity but has resisted calls to resign, asserting his cognitive fitness.
In his address, Biden vowed to continue efforts to lower costs for families, grow the economy, defend civil rights, and combat hate and extremism.
However, since then, his public appearances have been limited, even as Vice President Kamala Harris gains more attention as the Democrats’ likely nominee against Trump, the 78-year-old Republican candidate.
Last week, Biden left Chicago with his family after a brief appearance at the Democratic National Convention, where supporters chanted “Thank you, Joe!” in recognition of his decision to step down from the 2024 race.
Observers note that Biden is poised to leave office without giving a single one-on-one interview to a newspaper reporter or fulfilling some of his promises, such as visiting Africa.
Speculation has grown that such tasks may be too strenuous for the president, despite assurances from his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, that Biden’s health remains “excellent.”
Bipartisan calls for Biden to resign have intensified since his withdrawal from the 2024 race. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) argued that if Biden is unfit to run for president, he is unfit to serve.
Similarly, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) expressed concerns about Biden’s ability to make critical decisions, suggesting that Americans deserve a president who is fully capable of performing the job.
