Fact Check: Does Joe Biden own more vacation homes than Donald Trump?
WASHINGTON, DC: As the presidential election is just a few months away, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are not keeping shy in throwing jabs at each other whenever given an opportunity.
In a most recent rally, Trump claimed that Biden has more homes than he does and that the President has homes in four expensive holiday destinations. Is there any truth to this? Let's find out.
Donald Trump says Joe Biden has homes in four vacation destinations
Trump said during a Florida campaign rally that Biden had taken too many vacation days while in office.
While speaking to Republican Rep Byron Donalds of Florida, he said, "And mansions are in – think of this – here’s a guy that’s been a politician all his life. He’s got homes in the Virgin Islands, Nantucket, Lake Tahoe, Kiawah Island. I mean, where the hell did they get all this money, Byron? He’s got more homes than I do. What the hell is going on with him?"
Joe Biden does not have homes in places claimed by Donald Trump
Trump's claims are false when he says that Biden owns residences in the four locations he mentioned. Instead, Biden has visited the homes of people in those locations.
Notably, more homes are owned by Trump than by Biden. There's no doubt about how Biden managed to afford his two Delaware homes, according to CNN.
Joe Biden’s primary home is in suburb of Wilmington
Three decades after becoming a US senator from Delaware, in 1996, Biden and his wife Jill built their 6,850-square-foot house in a suburb of Wilmington, Delaware, on land they purchased for $350,000, as per CNN's fact-checkers.
In 2017, Biden and Jill purchased a beach house close to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for around $2.7 million, which serves as their vacation home. Following his vice presidency, they had negotiated a lucrative three-book contract earlier that year, and they used that money to make the acquisition.
In their 2019 tax returns that were made public, the Bidens revealed their book income. According to the records, they made almost $15.6 million in total between 2017 and 2018. A little over $13.3 million came from the book agreement and associated paid appearances.
Houses owned by Donald Trump
It may be challenging to distinguish between Trump's personal property ownership and his commercial interests, such as when determining whether unsold condominiums in his complexes can be considered Trump homes, and there is currently no comprehensive inventory of all the homes he owns.
Trump resides primarily at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. He still owns the triplex penthouse at his Trump Tower in New York City, which served as his principal residence in the past.
In addition, he owns an estate on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin that his business has been trying for years to sell, a private house at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, and a home spread across more than 200 acres in the suburbs of New York City.
