President Joe Biden spent more than 1/3 of the year away from the White House — either on vacation‚ at Camp David‚ or in Delaware — in 2023. A report published Sunday by The New York Post stated that the president spent a total of 138 days — which amounts to 37% of the year — in one of those three places. And even as the report was published‚ Biden was still on vacation with his family in St. Croix‚ the U.S. Virgin Islands. Biden’s proclivity for time away from the White House did not just develop in 2023 — in fact‚ he has spent some 417 days of his term so far on vacation. “Biden has arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands‚ where he’ll spend the rest of the year at the beach. Biden has spent 417 days — 39% of his presidency — on vacation‚” @RNCResearch posted via X on Wednesday‚ as Biden began his most recent trip. Biden has arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands‚ where he'll spend the rest of the year at the beach. Biden has spent 417 days — 39% of his presidency — on vacation. pic.twitter.com/JWYXvGrvIv — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 27‚ 2023 According to a 2o22 report from The Daily Mail‚ Biden’s pace thus far puts him on track to spend more days vacationing than any president in history. If he continues to spend 39% of his presidency on vacation‚ the total over two terms will be 1‚106 days — just over three full years. By comparison‚ former President Donald Trump spent 381 days away from the White House during his term in office — and former President Barack Obama spent a total of 328 days on vacation over the course of two terms. Former President George W. Bush spent 1‚o2o days away from the White House during his two terms in office — nearly half of which he spent clearing brush at his ranch in Texas — but Biden is on pace to outmatch him. Biden has often been criticized for the timing of his trips as well‚ leaving Washington when crises loom — or spending a week in Lake Tahoe (and just a few hours in Maui) as Hawaii reeled in the aftermath of devastating wildfires.

Even David Axelrod‚ top adviser to former President Barack Obama‚ has admitted that forcibly removing former President Donald Trump from primary ballots — which some states have already attempted to do‚ pending court rulings — could be a risky move for Democrats. Axelrod told CNN on Friday that he had “very‚ very strong reservations” about states like Maine and Colorado — where officials have cited the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection” clause and declared Trump “ineligible” to run for President in 2024 because of what happened on January 6th‚ 2021. “I have very‚ very strong reservations about all of this. I do think it would rip the country apart if he were actually prevented from running because tens of millions of people want to vote for him‚” Axelrod said. As The New York Post reported‚ Axelrod argued that Trump had essentially set up his campaign to function as part of his legal defense — and Democrats who wanted him removed from the 2024 primary ballot were playing right into his hands. “A lot of the motivation for [Trump’s] candidacy was as a legal defense strategy‚” Axelrod explained‚ adding‚ “He wanted to set up a construct … which says that they’re coming after him because he’s running for president‚ and they’re trying to prevent him from being president.” The problem‚ Axelrod added‚ was that every attack Democrats had brought against the former president so far appeared to have backfired: “We’ve run this experiment‚ he’s only gained since he started getting indicted.” Brianne Pfannenstiel‚ chief political reporter at the Des Moines Register‚ backed up Axelrod’s assessment to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on her Sunday morning MSNBC show. “If he’s being attacked‚ Republicans in Iowa tend to gravitate even more closely to him… His support is only getting stronger here in Iowa‚” she said. WATCH: "If he's being attacked‚ Republicans in Iowa tend to gravitate even more closely to him… His support is only getting stronger here in Iowa." @brianneDMR on Iowa polling that shows Trump's rhetoric makes GOP caucusgoers more likely to support him pic.twitter.com/Hxb60GaQbD — Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) December 31‚ 2023 Ultimately‚ Axelrod argued that the best way to defeat Trump was not in removing him from the ballot but in beating him at the ballot box. “I think if you’re going to beat Donald Trump‚ you’re going to probably have to do it at the polls.”

President Joe Biden enters 2024 with job approval and poll numbers that bode ill for the incumbent‚ a political analyst told an MSNBC audience on New Year’s Eve. National political correspondent Steve Kornacki explained on Sunday‚ armed with his signature charts‚ how NBC’s final poll of the year compares with the statistics for other presidents heading into a re-election year. Biden stood at 40% approval and 57% disapproval  in November‚ which Kornacki said is the “lowest” dating back to President George H.W. Bush‚ who lost his attempt to secure a second term‚ and others who won or got defeated in the intervening years. MSNBC's Steve Kornacki: Biden's approval rating is "the lowest NBC poll for an incumbent facing a re-election year" pic.twitter.com/W8MEDKLO77 — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 31‚ 2023 Moving on to an average of 2024 general election polls‚ which over course of 2023 has flipped from favoring Biden in a head-to-head rematch against former President Donald Trump by 2 points to giving Trump a plus-two margin over Biden‚ Kornacki noted that it looks to be a “very close race.” Kornacki said the “big thing” on his radar is how voters — three out of four of them — have major to moderate concerns about Biden’s age (81) and fitness to continue serving as commander in chief.  As for Trump‚ Kornacki continued‚ the X factor appears to be rising anxiety about his legal situation‚ particularly if there is a conviction. Though Biden and Trump are dominating in their respective parties‚ at least in the polls‚ less than a month before the caucuses and primary contests get under way‚ Kornacki also unpacked some data showing that both candidates came up short behind a “generic” member of their own party in the November poll from NBC News. Though unlike Trump‚ Biden trailed by double digits. “Broadly there’s not a big appetite for Trump versus Biden‚ even though it seems that each party‚ at least as we enter 2024‚ is poised to go in that direction‚” Kornacki said. He showed another graphic‚ this one for a recent poll from The Wall Street Journal‚ which broadened the scope of a presidential contest beyond just the two major parties amid big names such as Robert Kennedy Jr. and potential Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). “They included a bunch of third party options and against Biden and Trump. They added up to 17%. That’s a big question heading into 2024. Is it going to be a real third party candidate to create a wild card in this?”

A tennis match in Australia got delayed this weekend as one of the most venomous snakes in the world made a surprise appearance on the court. Tennis player Dominic Thiem‚ who won the U.S. Open in 2020‚ was facing off against Australian rival James McCabe in a qualifying round at the Brisbane International 0n Saturday when the serpent intruder showed up. Officials suspended the match when spectators caught a glimpse of the uninvited guest‚ identified as an eastern brown snake‚ and called in a local expert to scoop it up‚ according to 9 News Australia. The Brisbane International is off to an unusual start… with tennis officials having to deal with snake invasion!@AdamJackson_9 #9News pic.twitter.com/39cusAvnOF — 9News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) December 30‚ 2023 Lucas Perrett‚ the snake catcher who answered the call‚ said officials put down a tarp and the snake slithered underneath in an apparent bid to get away from the crowd. “He’s an eastern brown‚” Perrett said of the little critter. “He is the second-most venomous snake in the world.” The newscast showed images of Perrett walking court-side with the snake bagged at the end of a short stick. He received a round of applause once the reptile was squared away‚ and he took a video to show to his family. “My wife is a massive tennis fan. We actually have tickets for next Saturday and Sunday and when I texted [to say] I’m going to pick up a snake from the Brisbane International‚ she went‚ ‘No way‚ get me an autograph‚'” he said. Thiem had just lost a set to McCabe when the snake disrupted the game‚ but he made a comeback and clinched victory after the match got back underway. “I really love animals‚ especially exotic ones‚” Thiem said‚ per the Brisbane International website. “But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ballkids‚ so it was a really dangerous situation. He added‚ “It’s something that has never happened to me and is something I’ll definitely never forget.” As reported by CNN‚ the Australian Museum says the eastern brown snake — one of many dangerous animals in the land Down Under — “has the unfortunate distinction of causing more deaths from snake bite than any other species of snake in Australia” with a cocktail of toxins that can lead to “progressive paralysis and uncontrollable bleeding.”

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