Bidens leave for South Carolina vacation

President Joe Biden and his family left Washington Wednesday for a week-long vacation on Kiawah Island in South Carolina. 

Biden’s motorcade pulled up to the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews with first lady Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden and wife Melissa Cohen, and grandson baby Beau Biden in tow. 

The president was holding his grandson’s hand.  Baby Beau waved at the military greeter, as the president saluted – while the first lady helped him up Air Force One’s stairs.  

The trip comes after the president tested negative for COVID this past weekend, finally being free of his isolation and reuniting with his wife after spending nearly three weeks apart due to his infection. 

Biden has been cleared to travel by his doctor but is still suffering from a post-COVID cough. 

The Bidens have visited the Kiawah several times before – including four times when he was vice president – but this is his first visit since winning the White House.

The White House has not said how long the Bidens will be on the private island but there are FAA flight restrictions in place through Tuesday. Those restrictions are standard operating procedure when a president visits an area. 

It’s also unclear where on the island Biden is staying. 

There is a luxury hotel as well as a variety of rental homes. 

There are also many private residences on the island, including homes owned by former Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, Olympic gold-medalist figure skater Tara Lipinski and NBA basketball player Ray Allen.

While Biden is gone, the House will vote on the Inflation Reduction Act that was passed by the Senate this weekend. 

The bill became the Democrats’ signature legislative package – replacing Biden’s Build Back Better after it failed to garner enough Democratic support.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden supports, contains funding for health and climate programs. 

Democrats also claim it will help reduce the record high inflation the country is experiencing – which some fear will turn to voter anger at the president’s party in the November election. 

Before Biden left on his vacation, he signed the PACT Act into law. The legislation expands healthcare for military veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Biden has previously said he believes his son Beau’s cancer, which killed him in 2015, was caused by Beau’s exposure to burn pits during his military service in Iraq. 

The president typically heads to Delaware for his respites, either at his home in Wilmington or his beach house in Rehoboth. He spent part of August last year at each of those homes.

But the Bidens are no strangers to Kiawah. 

They previously visited the island in 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2015 when Biden was vice president.

And President Biden last visited South Carolina in December when he spoke at South Carolina State University’s graduation at the invitation of his close friend, Rep. Jim Clyburn.

Kiawah, an island of 15 miles square feet, has an oceanfront golf resort and is 25 miles from Charleston. It is known as being one of the premier golf destinations on the East Coast.

In May of 2021, the PGA held its championship at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. 

Biden is a golf player but usually only hits the links at his country club in Wilmington. 

In his first 18 months in office, Biden played 15 rounds of golf, according to former CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, who tracks presidential data.