President Joe Biden has largely vanished from the public eye, holding no public events in more than half of the 75 days since ending his reelection bid, Axios reported Friday.
Biden has gone without a public event for 43 of the 75 days since he dropped out on July 21. During the 32 days he did make appearances, Biden scheduled only two events before 11 a.m., none before 10 a.m., and just five after 5 p.m., according to an Axios review of the president’s schedule.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is seeking to distance herself from the Biden-Harris administration’s dismal policy record, has held only one campaign event with Biden and rarely mentions the president in her speeches.
First lady Jill Biden has also largely disappeared from the campaign trail, with sources telling Axios that Harris’s team has made little effort to involve her in campaign events.
Acknowledging his unpopularity, Biden has privately agreed to follow whatever strategy Harris’s team believes will help her win, even if it means avoiding campaigning in some states, according to Axios.
Nearly all of Biden’s recent meetings and calls with foreign leaders were scheduled between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. His aides privately noted that while the president can stay focused between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., he often struggles with fatigue and has difficulty speaking coherently outside those hours.
Biden has sat down for only two interviews since July 21 and went on vacation for much of August.
"Being commander in chief is about far more than public events," White House spokesman Andrew Bates said, noting that Biden "works around the clock, long before and after these times."
Public interest in Biden has dropped to its lowest level since he took office in 2021. Google Trends data reveal a sharp decline in searches about Biden over the past two months.