Joe Biden's frequent gaffes and brain freezes have been a huge liability for him as he attempts to make the case for getting another four years in the Oval Office, but one issue that has yet to be as much of a liability so far has been his frequent vacations. Media estimates suggest he has spent roughly 40% of his presidency on vacation. It's widely believed to be because he needs to recharge regularly out of sight of the public. That's certainly a more realistic explanation given his advanced age and cognitive problems.
NOT UP FOR THE JOB: Biden is resting at his beach house this weekend (again). He has spent a record 453 days — 39% of his presidency — on vacation. pic.twitter.com/WLiqoRiRFd
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 13, 2024
Whether the two issues are related or not (and I still maintain that they are) may be irrelevant at this point, because recent developments in the Middle East have brought this issue into the limelight.
As you may know, on Friday, Joe Biden left Washington, D.C. for his beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware at the same time Israel was facing a threat from Iran. Before leaving, he indicated he thought an attack on Israel was coming sooner than later and "warned" Iran not to attack Israel.
"Don't," he said, before adding, “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.”
“Don’t.”
— Ben Swann (@BenSwann_) April 13, 2024
Biden warns Iran not to attack Israel.
“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.” pic.twitter.com/JvmvUrdKqf
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this was not the best him for him to go on vacation... and yet, that's exactly what he did.
And now, less than a day later, he's returning to the White House, “to consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East.”
BREAKING: White House says President Biden is returning to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Del. this afternoon to consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) April 13, 2024
On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard took control of a container ship associated with Israel. The vessel was reportedly seized near the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the open sea.
“The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have seized a Portuguese civilian cargo ship, belonging to an EU member, claiming Israeli ownership,” Israel Katz, Israel’s foreign minister, said in a post on X/Twitter. “The Ayatollah regime of @khamenei_ir is a criminal regime that supports Hamas’ crimes and is now conducting a pirate operation in violation of international law.”
“I call on the European Union and the free world to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization and to sanction Iran now,” he added.
“We strongly condemn the Iranian seizure of the Portuguese flagged, British-owned MSC AIRES in international waters,” Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a statement. “We call on Iran to release the vessel & its international crew immediately."
This is clearly not a good situation. Joe Biden doesn't just cut his treasured vacations short for nothing. And the fact that doing so was necessary gives Donald Trump fresh ammunition to attack Biden as someone who can't be relied upon to be available during critical moments related to national security.
