US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill left the cold of Washington to head to the warm US Virgin Islands, where they will celebrate the arrival of the new year with the rest of the family. Biden and his wife left the White House after 18:30 local time (23:30 GMT) and boarded the presidential helicopter “Marine One”, to go to Andrews military base in the state of Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington. From there, straight to St. Croix, the largest US Virgin Islands territory in the Caribbean.
Also traveling with Biden and the first lady were four members of the president’s cabinet, including Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, and Annie Tomasini, director of Oval Office affairs. According to the White House, the Bidens plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Years with the rest of the family in the Virgin Islands and will return to the White House on Jan. 2. The Biden family has traveled to the Virgin Islands for vacations nearly every year since 2008, including while the current president was a vice president under Barack Obama (2009-2017).
Biden left Washington behind the devastating blizzard that hit the northern United States, for a vacation in the Caribbean, where he should also ponder a long-awaited resolution for 2023: whether to run for president in 2024. The tenant of the White House has come under scathing criticism on conservative network Fox News, with commentators accusing him of “preparing to have a good time” as Americans battle a snowstorm that has already killed at least 50 people.
The last few months – writes Agi/Afp – may have strengthened the determination of the octogenarian to remain in the White House for another four years. The first half of his term saw the peak and recovery of the Covid-19 pandemic, a humiliating exit from the war in Afghanistan, inflation at a 40-year high, and the aftermath of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump’s attempt to overthrow the US democratic system. In 2022, his party limited the damage and even gained seats in the midterm elections, before adopting a law protecting same-sex marriage in December. As for petrol prices at the pump, after a spectacular spike, they are almost back to normal.
And on the international scene, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to the formation of a US-led alliance that continues to hold out after more than ten months. Finally, in its rivalry with Beijing, Washington has renewed its commitment to its Asian allies. At the same time, Republicans in Congress are facing some turmoil as they prepare to regain control of the House of Representatives in January, and Donald Trump, still the party’s dominant figure, faces multiple legal threats.
