White House scolds reporter for asking who's in charge amid Biden' second week of vacation

WASHINGTON, DC: The White House addressed concerns on Monday, August 26, about who was in charge of the country as President Joe Biden began his second week of vacation.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby rebuked a reporter for asking about who was managing the nation in Biden’s absence. 

Kirby responds while Biden is on vacation

During a Zoom briefing with reporters, Kirby was asked who was running the country with Biden on vacation. "You know better than that," Kirby responded. "The president is on vacation, but you can never unplug from a job like that. Nor does he try to."

Kirby insisted that Biden remains “very much in command” of the nation’s affairs. He pointed to recent communications between the president and world leaders, the Daily Mail reported.

Biden had a conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, and just a couple of days earlier, he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Per Kirby, these interactions prove that Biden is still working even while on vacation.

Biden, now 81, is currently relaxing at his beach home in Rehoboth, Delaware. This is after spending a week at a private 8,000-acre ranch in Santa Ynez, California. The president is expected to return to the White House following the Labor Day weekend.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris remains in Washington DC with no public engagements scheduled until Wednesday, when she is set to embark on a two-day campaign bus trip in Georgia.

White House’s stance on Biden’s remote work

The White House has repeatedly argued that President Biden can effectively carry out his presidential duties regardless of his whereabouts.

When the president travels, a member of the National Security Council is always with him to keep him informed on foreign matters, while a staffer from the chief of staff’s office ensures he stays updated on domestic issues.

Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived at their multi-million dollar beach house in Rehoboth on Sunday evening, marking the commander-in-chief's 114th visit to Delaware since taking office.

According to journalist Mark Knoller, who tracks presidential travel, Biden’s trips to Delaware have spanned all or part of 328 days. This exceeds the travel time of his predecessor Donald Trump by a lot.

The former president only had 51 visits and 240 days spent at either of his estates in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, or Bedminster, New Jersey, at a similar point in his presidency.

Having said that, this marks the second consecutive week of vacation for the Bidens.

After addressing the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the president and his family — including their children and grandchildren — traveled to Santa Ynez, California, to stay at a sprawling ranch owned by billionaire Democrat donor and family friend Joe Kiani.

The property — known as the 'Kiani Preserve' — is an 8,000-acre estate located about three hours north of Los Angeles in the Santa Barbara wine country. The ranch has its own private vineyard, a herd of cattle, and donkeys. The vineyard is said to produce bottles of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, wines that First Lady Jill Biden is known to enjoy.

Kiani has been a close friend of the Biden family. Hunter Biden visited the $50 million vineyard property last year. That said, the Bidens' stay at the Kiani Preserve followed a grueling week for the president, who recently withdrew from the presidential race after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.

Trump’s visit to Arlington

While Biden remained out of sight on Monday, former President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to honor the 13 American service members killed three years ago during the botched withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Trump laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited section 60, where many soldiers who died in Afghanistan are buried. He was accompanied by the families of the fallen soldiers and two Marines injured in the Abbey Gate bombing - Cpl Kelsee Lainhart and Sgt Tyler Vargas-Andrews.

The somber visit also served as an opportunity for Trump to slam Harris and Biden for what he has repeatedly described as "the most embarrassing moment in our history," referring to the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Furthermore, Trump’s Arlington visit also countered news reports claiming he disrespects veterans. Trump has been accused of calling fallen World War II soldiers "suckers" and "losers" in the past, allegations he has vehemently denied.