There is one thing Obama and Joe Biden do well, and it’s vacation. Despite all the problems domestically and abroad, both Obama and Biden are headed for vacations this weekend. Biden is going to the Virgin Islands for the second time in three months. Is this weekend some sort of holiday or something that I missed?
The White House brushed off concerns Friday that, with the crisis in Crimea intensifying, now might not be the best time for President Obama — and his vice president — to go on vacation.
The travel schedules of both the president and Vice President Biden have come under scrutiny, given the rapidly changing situation in Ukraine. Obama, already in Florida to talk about education, was planning to spend some family time this weekend in Key Largo, Fla., where he arrived late in the day. Biden, meanwhile, will be in the Virgin Islands.
Despite some apparent discussion over cutting the president’s trip short, White House spokesman Josh Earnest indicated the president would be able to handle the crisis from out of the office.
“The president over the course of a very busy week has maintained his schedule and his ability to monitor ongoing events in Ukraine. I would anticipate that he’ll do the same thing this weekend,” Earnest said. “And the fact of the matter is what the president is doing this weekend in Florida is essentially what the president will be doing if he stayed back at the White House. It’s just that the weather will be a little warmer.”