President Joe Biden left for his second week-long vacation in August on Friday night, flying to Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
The White House has not released any details about what the president will be doing at the vacation destination. On Monday, Biden plans to visit Maui — the Hawaiian island devastated by wildfires — and will return to Lake Tahoe where he will remain until Saturday.
STATELINE, NV – JULY 09: Boats sit on the coastline of Lake Tahoe near hole 17 during Round Two of the 2022 American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on July 9, 2022 in Stateline, Nevada. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)
Biden faced criticism for staying largely silent on the Maui tragedy for days. He initially made remarks about the wildfires Aug. 10, but then went to Delaware, where he was seen riding his bike and relaxing on the beach. On Sunday, Biden appeared to mouth “no comment” to a question about the mounting death toll on the island after being at the beach. (RELATED: ‘No, Not Now’: Biden Skirts Questions On Maui Disaster, Walks Away From Press)
He made remarks about Maui at the top of his speech Tuesday, joking that he “gotta talk a little bit” about the wildfires.
“I apologize because I try very hard to keep my speeches between 15 and 18 minutes, but I gotta talk a little bit about Hawaii. I’ve been on the phone with the governor coming up here and the senators. And let me say, address the devastating wildfires, some of which are still burning in Hawaii, have claimed the lives of 99 people so far,” Biden said Tuesday.
TOPSHOT – An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
He issued a disaster declaration for the island and has been in contact with the governor, senators and officials on the ground, according to the White House.
The president vacationed at his Delaware residences from July 28 to Aug. 6.
Biden spent nearly 40% of 2022 on vacation in Delaware or at Camp David, according to a Daily Caller analysis.
The White House has maintained that the president can work from anywhere.