Joe and Jill Biden have escaped Washington D.C. and landed on the Caribbean island of St. Croix for a vacation and a free stay at the home of billionaire Democratic donors.
The president and first lady stepped off Air Force One on Wednesday afternoon with his 19-year-old granddaughter Natalie, the daughter of his late son Beau, for the break on the sunny beaches of the U.S. Virgin Island.
The family will ring in the New Year surrounded by sunny beaches as he faces continued questions about his 2024, dire polls and an increase in attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East.
They will stay rent-free at the beachfront villa owned by friends Bill and Connie Neville, who made their fortune in the tech industry and attended the White House state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The property in an area where homes can sell for up to $3million has three bedrooms, a pool and access to a private beach.
Biden will take in sweeping bay views in the secluded enclave and may make use of one of the island’s golf courses as he faces a political storm back home.
Joe and Jill Biden and his granddaughter Natalie, 19, landed on the Caribbean island of St. Croix for a vacation and to ring in the new year as he faces of torrent of issues and questions over 2024 back in Washington D.C
The president, the first lady and his granddaughter stepped off Air Force One at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on Wednesday afternoon
Awaiting him back on the mainland will be the upcoming battle to fund the government, with the deadline looming on January 19.
And the 2024 election will kick into high gear next month as Republicans begin the primary process to pick their presidential nominee.
‘There will also be more immediate, pressing political issues, including rising tensions in the Middle East and the surge in migrant crossings at the southern border.
As Biden heads south to the Caribbean Sea, two of his top officials – Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – will head south to Mexico, where they will seek help to drive down border crossings.
The politically-charged issue is weighing down on the Biden administration.
Immigration has entrenched itself into Biden’s foreign policy – his push for more funds for the Ukraine and Israel was stymied by Republicans desire for more border funding.
And it’s a political hot potato for the president as he seeks a second term in office. Republicans – and even some Democrats – have criticized him for not doing enough to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
Biden’s granddaughter Natalie, the daughter of his late son Beau, is a student at the University of Pennsylvania
Awaiting Biden back on the mainland will be the upcoming battle to fund the government, with the deadline looming on January 19
During the trip, Biden will also have to deal with more immediate issues such as the rising tensions in the Middle East that prompted him ordering airstrikes on targets in Iraq
Meanwhile, fears are growing of a widening Middle East war that could draw in American troops. U.S. troops in Syrian and Iraq have already faced attacks by Iranian proxy groups.
And Biden continues to try and persuade Republicans to back more funding for Ukraine as it fights off Russian troops.
Amid all this, the president will get family time at one of the Biden family’s favorite winter destinations.
The Bidens have a long family tradition of spending time on St. Croix, visiting there nearly every year since 2008.
President Joe Biden and family are staying at the home of a billionaire Democratic donor on St. Croix – largest of U.S. Virgin Islands
The villa sits on Solitude Bay, which has access to a private beach and is owned by Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville
Homes in the idyllic beachfront community of Solitude Bay can sell for around $3million
The Nevilles, who made their fortune in the tech industry, hosted the Biden family in 2022
The Bidens boarded Air Force One on Wednesday in the rain to begin their Caribbean journey
It’s unlikely the president will be able to escape the darkening political clouds both at home and around the world as he sits on the sunny beach of the U.S. Virgin Island
Joe and Jill Biden board the smaller steps of Air Force One in the rain as they began their journey to the Caribbean
The Bidens rang in 2023 on its private beach. St. Croix is the eastern most point of the United States and thus gets the first sunrise of the new year for the United States.
In the past, the Bidens joined locals in greeting the first sunrise of the new year at Point Udall, the eastern-most point under the American flag. But, as president, he requires more security, thus the private early morning tradition.
The first family spent Christmas at Camp David but returned to the White House on Tuesday for a short, 24 hour stay.
Last year, the Bidens’ daughter Ashley, her husband Howard and Biden grandkids Natalie and Little Hunter joined the president and first lady on St. Croix.
The Bidens did not pay rent last year but staying as ‘guests’ at the home on Solitude Bay, a private community with its own beach. Houses there can sell for around $3 million, according to property websites.
A luxury family vacation rental on St. Croix can run up to $5,000 a night, according to vacation websites.
Both the president and first lady are known to enjoy beach time. The Bidens own a beach home in Rehoboth, Delaware.
The Bidens will enjoy a gorgeous escape from the cold – the average temperature on St. Croix is in the 80s with sunny skies forecasted for the next week.
Biden’s brother James owns property on Water Island and, in the past, the Bidens would often spend a week there in January, when the cold weather settles in on the East Coast.
During his time as vice president, Biden vacationed on St Croix in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Last year he was the first president to visit the island since former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Barack Obama visited it in 2007 when he was a presidential candidate.
Before Biden, the last sitting president to visit St Croix was Harry Truman in February 1948.