President Joe Biden, at 81 years old, holds the distinction of being the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, as well as the oldest to serve in office. Now, his His frequent vacations have drawn attention, with the New York Post calculating that the time he’s spent away from work equates to nearly 48 years of vacation time for an average worker.
In fact, according to the Post, “President Biden spends almost as much time on R&R as he does running the country.”
To date, Biden has taken 532 vacation days out of the 1,326 days he’s been in office as of the end of August, which accounts for 40.3% of his time in the White House, according to figures from the Republican National Committee.
For context, the Post reported that a typical American worker with 11 vacation days per year would need approximately 48 years to accumulate as much time off as Biden has taken during his presidency.
Mark Paoletta, former general counsel at the White House Office of Management and Budget, shared his perspective with the Post, saying, “The image of Biden fast asleep and lying flat on his back in his chair at the beach while America and the world is on fire will define the Biden presidency.” Paoletta added, “Inflation has been out of control; prices still way too high; our border overrun with millions of illegal aliens committing violent crimes on our citizens; the world in a perilous state; and all Biden wants to do is go on vacation and check out — for more than 530 days.”
In recent months, Biden has taken more personal time, particularly after announcing he would not run for reelection. The Post suggested this might be due to his frustration with fellow Democrats who pressured him into stepping aside.
Despite this, his time off remains in line with his previous years in office, with the Post noting that Biden’s third year as president continued the trend of making him “America’s most idle commander in chief.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., voiced her dissatisfaction with Biden’s performance, telling the Post, “We probably would have been better off if he did even less and went on vacation more.” She added, “Sadly, he repealed President Trump’s border policies, lifted sanctions on Iran that enriched them, and implemented anti-energy policies that drove up the cost gas, food and utility bills. If he just left things alone, things would be better.”
Comparatively, former President Donald Trump spent 26% of his presidency on personal travel, totaling 381 days out of 1,461, according to the Post. By contrast, former President Barack Obama, who was younger than both Biden and Trump, took just 11% of his time in office as vacation days.
The White House has pushed back on the criticism surrounding Biden’s time off, arguing that the president continues to work even while on personal trips. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded to the Post, saying, “It’s not a surprise that the same geniuses who attack President Biden for petting hero dogs and liking ice cream can’t count, but he has taken fewer vacation days than the modern average for presidents and works hard every day, wherever he is.”