President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden paid an abbreviated visit to their northern Delaware home over the weekend.
The Bidens arrived at New Castle Airport Friday night after a half-hour flight from Joint Base Andrews.
According to a press pool report, the Bidens spent the weekend at their home near Greenville and flew back to the D.C. area late Sunday afternoon. Their departure came before a powerful storm moved through Delaware with high winds for a time.
Biden had a full schedule at the White House that got underway Monday morning. The Bidens have typically left for the New Castle Airport on Monday mornings.
No public events were scheduled on Saturday and Sunday.
Weekend visits have become more frequent for the Bidens, who, to date, have not paid a visit to their other residence near Rehoboth Beach.
NBC News reported the Bidens have found they can relax in Wilmington away from the busy atmosphere of the White House.
The Bidens typically uses a smaller Boeing 757 aircraft but has also been known to use the Marine One helicopter, NBC. Marine One is typically escorted by other Marine helicopters.
Route 141 is briefly blocked while the motorcade escorts the Bidens to their residence. Monday morning departure times have led to social media criticism when the busy route is blocked for a time.
The president has been criticized for the pandemic visits, with White House spokespeople noting that the Bidens used private aircraft that do not carry the risk of spreading the virus.
Biden supporters also note that trips are less expensive than former President Donald Trump’s frequent trips to his golf estate in Florida. Those trips required Coast Guard protection since Mar-a-Largo is on the coast and added Secret Service protection that included golf cart fees that were paid to his resort.
Administration health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised against air travel, which is now on the upswing and can contribute to the spread of more potent variants of the virus reported in Delaware and other states.
