Visit will be best known for the President tumbling from a bike
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden arrived at their home near Rehoboth Beach early Friday afternoon on a trip that will best be remembered for the president tumbling from his bike.
Biden fell in getting off his bike while greeting members of the public.
The president was not injured, but that did not stop the non-stop media coverage of the fall and played into the narrative of critics who claim he is slipping mentally and physically. Biden is the oldest sitting president.
Such coverage is nothing news. Decades ago, President Gerald Ford bumped his head on Air Force One and became fodder for comedy sketches. Former President Donald Trump received similar treatment when he gingerly walked down a ramp at the Army West Point graduation. Biden stumbling while boarding a flight is a key part of a recent political attack ad.
It was the second visit for the First Couple in three weeks to their North Shores home near the beach town and came on their anniversary.
Visits by the Bidens to their second home have been infrequent to date, with many weekends spent at their home near Greenville.
Flight restrictions are in place into Monday in the Rehoboth-Ocean City area. Monday is the public holiday marking Juneteenth (June 19th) It marks the day slaves in Texas belatedly learned from Union forces they were free with the end of the Civil War. The Confederate state was a distant destination at that time.
On Monday, Biden decided to walk along the beach, rather than ride and told reporters he would make a decision by the end of the week on whether to order a holiday on the federal gas tax in an effort to reduce high prices at the pump.
Presidential trips add a modest impact to the economies of Rehoboth and Wilmington with presidential staff, security, and media taking rooms and dining out.
Rehoboth is still in the early stages of its summer season and rooms are available. The destination has become nationally known and saw near-record tourism levels last year, in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Delaware saw a surge in cases in late spring, but the number of cases has been dropping in recent weeks.
The Bidens will see temperatures in the 70s, a sharp contrast to the 90s reported to the north on Friday.
The Bidens will fly out of Rehoboth on Monday night and return to the White House.
