Travel
Exclusive | Biden cancels nine trips, extends Delaware stay after dropping out of 2024 race
President Biden has canceled nine trips that were scheduled for the next two weeks after suddenly dropping out of the 2024 race, The Post can reveal.
Biden was scheduled to leave Monday for the West Coast, where he was to make stops in California, Denver, Houston and Austin — but all those trips have been canceled, a White House source told The Post.
Biden, who has been isolating with COVID-19, was set to leave his home in Rehoboth, Del., on Monday, but extended his stay until Wednesday after announcing the end of his campaign the night before.
The source was not given any reason why the White House canceled the trips.
Biden’s illness was not immediately connected to the decision, as presidential physician Kevin O’Connor on Monday said Biden had all but recovered from the virus.
“They started canceling stuff when he announced he wasn’t seeking re-election,” the source said, adding that the trips were a mix of campaign and official presidential stops.
“He was supposed to leave today to start the West Coast trip, but they extended his stay in Rehoboth until the 24th,” the source added.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire was anticipating a Biden visit on Thursday to discuss the Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts but said the trip was canceled at the last minute.
“I don’t know if the press knows it, but President Biden was going to be here Thursday to recognize our preparation,” Whitmire said Sunday after the president dropped out of the race.
Biden was also tentatively expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, but he has no plans to return to DC.
What to know about President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race:
The president’s next scheduled trip is tentatively set for July 31, when Biden will travel with Vice President Kamala Harris to a yet-to-be-disclosed location, according to the White House source.
He is set to travel to Chicago the next day and then doesn’t have anything on the calendar until the Democratic National Convention, per the source.
Biden, 81, hasn’t been seen in public since Wednesday night, when he was diagnosed with COVID. After the diagnosis, the president was seen struggling to get off Air Force One and into his motorcade.
Harris spoke of Biden’s COVID recovery in her speech about his “legacy” Monday at the White House. The vice president, whom Biden endorsed to replace him as the nominee, said the chief executive “wanted to be here today.”
The latest on President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race:
“He is feeling much better and recovering fast, and he looks forward to getting back on the road,” Harris added.
Harris flew to Delaware on Monday to say hello to the campaign staff, as she is taking over the 2024 bid after Biden’s exit.
Biden — with heavily slurred speech — called into the HQ meeting to speak to staffers and Harris, informing them that “the name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed.”
Biden’s lack of physical presence or video address has led some to be alarmed about his whereabouts, with some Republican members of Congress calling for a “proof of life” check.
The letter announcing the suspension of his campaign was not written on official White House letterhead and the signature appeared to be electronically added.
A White House official said Biden received virtual briefings on homeland security and national security from Rehoboth on Monday.
Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates told The Post on Sunday that Biden “looks forward to finishing his term and delivering more historic results for the American people.”
The White House responded after publication.
“That’s false. He’ll be travelling within that time period,” Bates said in a statement.