President Joe Biden insisted that his time in Delaware Sunday was not a vacation but that he was there because the Secret Service was working on security precautions in the White House.
After visiting Florida to assess the damage of Hurricane Idalia, Biden and the First Lady arrived in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Saturday where the president frequently vacations. Following evening church services, the president explained to reporters that he was in Delaware because he “had no home to go to.” (RELATED: Amid Hunter Legal Troubles, Biden Hires Ed Siskel As New White House Counsel)
“By the way, the reason I am here today, I’m here for one day,” Biden told reporters Sunday. “I know people think I am on vacation, I’m not. I have no home to go to. Secret Service tore my house [the White House] up, in a good way, to make it secure.”
“No I am not homeless, I just have one home,” Biden continued. “I have a beautiful home. But I am down here for the day because I can’t go home home.”
Biden has been on vacation in both Delaware and Nevada for 19 days during the month of August.
The president came under fire in August after he was seen on the beach in Rehoboth, Delaware while the fires in Maui continued. Biden apparently mouthed “no comment” when asked about the rising death toll on the Hawaiian island.
As of Aug. 27, Biden has spent about 40% of his presidency on vacation, according to a report by the New York Post. Former President George H.W. Bush spent about 36% of his presidency on vacation while former President Donald Trump was on vacation about 26% of the time he was in office, the report shows.
Biden is set to leave Delaware Monday morning and go to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to celebrate Labor Day and honor American workers and unions at the Annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade.