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Joe Biden on track to take more vacation days than most recent presidents

Biden's increased time off comes as his approval rating sits below 41%

June 6, 2022 10:44pm

Updated: June 7, 2022 10:38am

President Joe Biden is on track to take more vacation days than his recent predecessors and, if he continues at this pace, will spend more than 550 days on vacation.

Most of Biden's vacations are spent in Delaware where he owns two homes.

Since taking office in Jan. 2021, Biden has spent nearly 190 full or partial days on vacation, with 130 days in Delaware and 52 at Camp David, according to The Washington Examiner.

Biden has been in office for just over 500 days, meaning that he has spent more than 37% of his time away from Washington since his inauguration.

If he continues the trend, Biden will spend roughly 553 days out of the White House, or more than 1,100 days away if he is reelected to a second term.

Former President Donald Trump, by comparison, took 383 vacation days at his own properties throughout his four-year presidency, The Washington Post reported. Trump dubbed the trips "working vacations."

Former President Barack Obama took 328 vacation days over his eight years in office, The Associated Press observed.

If Biden spends eight years in office, he may catch up to former President George W. Bush, who took the most vacation days of any recent president at 1,020 days. 

The president has also been criticized for taking vacations during times of crisis, such as when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August.

Biden's increased number of vacation days comes as his approval rating sits below 41%, according to FiveThirtyEight. His disapproval rating clears 53%.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates previously defended the president's vacation days to CNN.

"Presidents of the United States are constantly on the job, regardless of their location; whether they're on a state visit overseas or just 100 miles from the White House for a short trip to Wilmington," Bates said. "Wherever he is, the President spends every day working to defeat the pandemic, to ensure our economy delivers for the middle class — not just those at the top — and to protect our national security. Also, as all Americans can agree, it's important for leaders to avoid becoming ensconced in Washington, DC."