Biden goes west for his second vacation of the month
Aug 18, 2023, 1:00 PM | Updated: 10:26 pm
President Biden steps down from Air Force One after landing at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca Thursday, August 17, 2023. Biden was en route to Scranton to attend the viewing of the former Pennsylvania first lady Ellen Casey, who died last week./The Times-Tribune via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
GLENBROOK, Nevada (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Nevada late Friday for more rest and relaxation.
The first couple is renting a private home on Lake Tahoe, the massive alpine lake that abuts California and Nevada and is a tourist attraction, particularly in the winter for its ski resorts.
The president flew there from Camp David, where he hosted a summit Friday with the leaders of South Korea and Japan.
The home in the Glenbrook community belongs to Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor. Steyer is an investor, climate activist and Democratic donor. He ran for president in 2020.
The Bidens are renting the home for fair market value, the White House said, and will spend about a week in the area.
The Bidens will halt their vacation for a day on Monday to visit Maui, where a wildfire ripped through the historic town of Lahaina and killed at least 114 people. They will meet with survivors, first responders, and local officials while surveying the damage.
Biden vacationed earlier this month at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he went on bike rides, visited beaches and went for a date night with the first lady to a showing of the blockbuster film “Oppenheimer.”
In previous summers, the Bidens have also vacationed on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and the first family spends their Thanksgiving on the resort island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. They traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands at the end of last year, staying there through the new year.
Once Biden returns to Washington, there will be no shortage of issues to tackle. The White House will spend much of September ensuring that a government shutdown will be avoided at the end of the month, while persuading lawmakers to pass a supplemental funding package that includes billions more for Ukraine as well as disaster aid.
In September, Biden also has the Group of 20 summit in India and the annual United Nations General Assembly on his plate.
The White House will also continue to aggressively promote Biden’s legislative accomplishments under the umbrella of “Bidenomics,” focused on winning over more approval from voters as he campaigns for a second term in office.
Several members of Biden’s family, including daughter Ashley and some of his grandchildren, accompanied the president and first lady on Air Force One to Nevada. His son Hunter, and Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen, as well as their young son Beau were already at the rented home.
