President Joe Biden spent a shortened weekend at the family’s beach house in the North Shores area near Rehoboth Beach.
Airspace restrictions were issued for the Rehoboth-Ocean City area through Sunday. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden typically fly into a state park parking lot near the home via the Marine One helicopter.
The visit to Rehoboth came before Biden visited the United Kingdom to meet with newly crowned King Charles and the nation’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak.
The London visit will brief with Biden flying to Vilnius, Lithuania, for a meeting with NATO ministers. One issue before the group is Turkey holding up Sweden joining the alliance due to allegations that the nation is harboring Turkish terrorists.
At about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday Biden left Rehoboth via Marine One for Dover Air Force Base, where Air Force One flew the President to London.
The United States and the United Kingdom have been united in their support of Ukraine after the invasion by Russia. Ukraine will be a hot topic during the visit as that nation makes slow progress in its counteroffensive against Russian troops. The US, the UK, and other NATO members have been stepping up shipments of offensive weapons as the war reaches a critical juncture.
Biden approved cluster munitions, which created controversy since dud cluster shells can injure civilians.
Biden’s visit comes during the peak beach season and will provide a modest boost for the Coastal Delaware economy.
The area, within driving distance of tens of millions of Americans, is expected to see a busy summer but faces competition from a travel boom filling up jets, even in Delaware. Coastal Sussex County has seen a hotel-building boom as some travelers take shorter vacations but are willing to pay hefty peak room rates.
In the past, the Bidens have been careful in visiting Rehoboth during peak season, due to congestion and issues that include criticism from companies facing restrictions over flying advertiisng banners aimed at beachgoers.
At Wilmington Airport, about 90 miles to the north, new carrier Avelo is offering jet service to a dozen Sun Belt destinations.
The Bidens fly into the National Guard base at the airport when spending weekends at their home near Greenville, but have not been at that residence in recent weeks, a departure from the practice of spending a couple of weekends a month in northern Delaware.
The president has stepped up his travel schedule after announcing a bid for a second term and touts the administration’s economic policies. On Thursday he is in South Carolina to visit a factory building back-up battery systems and components for solar and other projects.
