Socialists like Senator Bernie Sanders are calling for a 32-hour work week to create a better quality of life for all Americans. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has already been working around 30 hours a week for months. That may give him more leisure time, but a presidential campaign is a grueling, non-stop marathon that will require the president to work longer than 30 hours a week. Can he handle the time commitments and stress at his advanced age? He also must be at the top of his game while crisscrossing the country on Air Force One looking for donations and votes. Luckily for him, the presidential airplane has a bedroom so Biden can catch up on his rest.
Give the President a Break
Axios has also reported that his staff is not able to schedule the president for speaking engagements and other ceremonial duties at certain times of the day to give Biden more time to relax. He doesn’t want to be bothered in the morning, late at night, or on weekends. It appears that the president usually only shows up in public from 10a to 4p, Axios said.
Sometimes Biden will have a state dinner, fundraiser, or other events in the evening, but these occasions are rare. There are many weekends when the president has nothing on his calendar. We can only hope that he is getting sufficient rest during those “lids” on his schedule.
Not a Morning Person
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now a host for MSNBC, said last month that Biden does nothing at 9a or earlier. She said, “He is a night owl.” Biden has claimed in at least one media interview that he keeps a regular schedule similar to many Americans and that he works out between 7a and 8a. If that is the case, exercise would be good for his mental acuity, cardio-vascular system, and his overall health.
Biden used to be a cyclist, but he had an accidental fall on his bike last summer and the White House has not shown the president doing any form of exercise. He is not a golfer like President Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. He doesn’t jog like Bill Clinton, and he doesn’t fish like George H.W. Bush. Even President Ronald Reagan, considered a leader who was on the old side, used to chop wood and ride horses.
He Takes Time Off from the Media
Biden has also been criticized for having fewer news conferences than his predecessors. And he rarely takes questions during events. Alternatively, Trump preferred to answer shouted questions before boarding the presidential helicopter.
Biden has disagreed in interviews that his age is a factor. During a press availability with the South Korean president in April, Biden said, “I can’t even say — I guess, how old I am, I can’t even say the number. It doesn’t — it doesn’t register with me. And — but the only thing I can say is that one of the things that people are going to find out, they’re going to see a race and they’re going to judge whether or not I have it or don’t have it.”
Joe Biden: 234 Days on Vacation
Biden appears to enjoy the time he spends away from the White House at his two homes in Delaware. An analysis of his time off from White House duties in August of 2022 found that he spends 40 percent of his time “on vacation.” At that point, he had worked at the White House 589 days and spent 234 days on vacation. Other destinations for the president have included spending time at Camp David and at resort areas in Massachusetts and South Carolina.
This could be a campaign issue for the Republicans as conservative commentators and spokespersons for the Republican National Committee have criticized what they call Biden’s low-speed work ethic, while saying that Biden will soon be on “permanent vacation” once he loses his re-election bid.
The president will need to stand and deliver during the campaign, travel more on weekends, and stay awake longer at night. That is when rallies and fundraisers are often held. Democrats and left-leaning Independents want to see the president in person to make sure that he has the stamina to win again. To be re-elected, he will have to conduct more events outside his preferred hours between 10am and 4pm.
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Author Expertise and Experience: Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
