Staff Reports
Biden’s famous beach vacation might be a bit too familiar for America’s taste. Recent chatter—not officially confirmed, but given the current state of affairs, who’d be surprised?—suggests that the death toll from Hurricane Helene could be in the mid-hundreds, and the old man in charge spent his weekend complaining about holding the phone for two hours while people waited for help. At this rate, presidential multitasking seems more like a full-time nap.
While disaster struck in Western North Carolina, images emerged of Joe Biden enjoying the surf and sand, leaving Americans on rooftops praying for rescue. The optics of a sitting president supposedly “in command” while sipping piña coladas on the beach screams more of a vacation promo than urgent leadership.
Biden’s aloofness has rubbed off on his administration, which now operates like a machine lacking a mechanic. Take the longshoreman’s strike currently crippling East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. As shoppers start getting ready for the holiday season, Biden’s Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, casually admitted she hadn’t been following the serious ramifications this could pose on trade. It seems that she could be preoccupied staring off into the distance or mastering the art of looking busy.
It’s almost comical that while Trump was out of office, he’s managing to accomplish more than Biden has during his time in the Oval Office. Biden’s vacation bonanza isn’t just pricy; it’s embarrassing. The left used to criticize President George W. Bush for staying at his Texas ranch, while Republicans lambasted Obama for his Martha’s Vineyard retreats. But it seems nobody on the left is willing to say much when Biden gets his toes sandy instead of focusing on, you know, leading.
Biden Can Check Out Any Time He Likes (and He's Basically Left) https://t.co/5AIJluhlfw
— JB (@JBRawhide) October 2, 2024
The man might be physically present, but his mind seems to have taken an extended leave of absence. Even if Biden’s aides conjured up a hologram of him bench pressing, say, an elephant while throttling Vladimir Putin, that wouldn’t address the fundamental problem: he’s simply checked out. One would think the administration would put some effort into making it look like someone’s at the helm, but the team behind Biden appears just as lost as he is.
The real danger isn’t even that the titular president has taken his leave—it’s that the executive branch is careening along without a clear leader. His advisors and secretaries are likely reacting to a non-existent signal from a man whose spark has dimmed. The rest of the world might be watching a comedy show, and it isn’t even the good kind—there’s no punchline in this farce of unaccountable power shifts within an ever-absent government.
