Biden hunkers down in the White House for Christmas: President opts against Delaware or a New Year's trip to the Virgin Islands with omicron spreading and mounting anger over testing
President Joe Biden will spend his first Christmas as president at the White House with family and is giving up his New Year's tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year.
The decision to spend Christmas at the White House was unexpected from a president who heads home to Delaware for the weekend as often as possible.
Instead, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, he'll spend some time between Christmas and New Year's in Delaware.
President Joe Biden will spend his first Christmas as president at the White House with family and is giving up his New Year's tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year.
First Lady Jill Biden (right) is expected to visit Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve
The president will also eschew his family tradition of traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the New Year's holiday, a trip he's made with his family nearly every year since 2008.
His brother James owns property on Water Island, and Biden often has spent the week there or on St. Croix.
During his first year in office, he's spent more than 25 weekends at his Wilmington home or his Rehoboth Beach house, where it's easier for friends and family to stop by and for the Bidens to enjoy bike rides or outings to the beach.
Biden has suggested he's uncomfortable with the trappings of life in the White House, at one point saying living there was like being in a 'gilded cage.'
The president's decision to stay local comes as the newest wave of COVID cases, caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant, has caused long lines at COVID-19 testing centers and caused major airlines to cancel flights due to staffing shortages.
The White House has taken heat for the country being ill-prepared for the testing crush.
Both United and Delta canceled more than 100 flights on Christmas Eve, blaming omicron and bad weather.
The president has no events on his Christmas Eve schedule.
First Lady Jill Biden will make a trip mid-morning to Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
It's a traditional holiday trip made by the first lady.
Earlier this week, the Bidens introduced a new member of the family - a German Shepherd puppy named Commander, which was given as a gift to the president by his brother.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff are spending the holiday in California.
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