President Joe Biden kicked off 2023 by watching the sunrise with his wife from the private beach of their luxury St. Croix villa and then attending mass at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in downtown Christiansted.
The president could be seen taking communion through the church’s tall open windows. It was nearly 80 degrees already Sunday morning, but a Caribbean breeze blew through the town.
Asked if he had made any new year’s resolutions, he said ‘good year, next year’ and said he was ‘looking forward to it,’ giving reporters a thumbs up as he exited the cream and white church and got into his black SUV.
President Joe Biden gets into his SUV as he departs mass on New Year’s Day. Asked if he had made any new year’s resolutions, he said ‘good year, next year’ and said he was ‘looking forward to it’
A Secret Service agent stands guard outside the church where President Joe Biden attended mass on New Year’s Day in downtown Christiansted on St. Croix
The Bidens are staying at a luxury villa in the Solitude Bay section of St. Croix, with the president and first lady watching the sunrise from their private beach Sunday morning
President Joe Biden departs mass Sunday morning in downtown Christiansted in St. Croix
The church dates back to 1755, but was extensively renovated in the 1950s, according to a website documenting St. Croix landmarks.
The president and first lady woke up at 6:30 a.m. to watch the sunrise – the first of the new year and the first in the United States, as St. Croix is the country’s easternmost point.
In the past, the Bidens have joined island residents and tourists to take in the first sunrise of the new year at Point Udall.
The president has popped out several times since arriving on the island on Tuesday.
On Friday night, he wouldn’t say if he’s made a decision to run for reelection as he departed a restaurant Friday night with his family in downtown Christiansted on St. Croix.
‘There’s an election coming up?’ Biden said to questions about 2024 as he departed Savant, one of the top-rated restaurants on the tropical island. ‘2023 is going to be a good year,’ the president added.
He dined with first lady Jill Biden and grandchildren Hunter, 16, and Natalie, 18, the children of his late son, Beau Biden.
Daughter Ashley and her husband Howard Krein are also spending the New Year’s holiday on the U.S. Virgin Island, a place the Bidens have frequented for years.
This is, however, Biden’s first trip to the U.S. territory as president.
President Joe Biden wouldn’t say if he’s made a decision to run for reelection as he departed a restaurant Friday night with his family in downtown Christiansted on St. Croix
Granddaughter Natalie Biden (left), 18, holds hands with first lady Jill Biden (right) as they leave the restaurant Savant Friday night
First lady Jill Biden, wearing a bold blue dress, holds hands with granddaughter Natalie as the family departed Savant, a highly rated restaurant in downtown Christiansted on St. Croix
Dr. Jill Biden waves at reporters as she leaves Savant on St. Croix Friday night. She said dinner out in downtown Christiansted was ‘great’
President Joe Biden also told reporters that ‘2023 is going to be a good year’ before getting in his black SUV and motorcading back to the luxury villa the family is borrowing from a Democratic donor
The president said it was nice to have his grandkids, his daughter and ‘the whole dang family’ around – as they stay at a three-bedroom luxury villa with a private beach, as ‘guests’ of top Democratic donors.
During his press conference a day after the midterms, Biden had said he’d talk 2024 with his family members during a holiday getaway, however he said on Nantucket over Thanksgiving that those conversations weren’t happening yet.
‘We’re not having any, we’re celebrating,’ Biden told reporters as he walked through the Massachusetts island town. ‘Not yet,’ he told DailyMail.com when asked if he’d made a decision on whether to run again.
Former President Donald Trump is already aching for a rematch with Biden, announcing a 2024 bid in mid-November.
On Friday night on St. Croix, Dr. Biden, who was sporting a royal blue outfit, said the meal out was ‘great.’
The two-story restaurant, which is painted blue, has an old world looking dining room and then a pretty patio out back.
Earlier, the president and first lady pre-taped an interview with Ryan Seacrest that will air Saturday night during his Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve program.
The Bidens dined at Savant restaurant in St. Croix, which is painted blue and has a romantic patio out back. It’s considered one of the best restaurants on the U.S. Virgin island
Savant boasts an old world looking dining room. Entrees are priced around $40, according to the restaurant’s website
Diners can also eat on the restaurant’s cozy patio. The president brought along grandkids Natalie and Hunter, the children of the late Beau Biden
Before that, the president and grandson Hunter broke cover Friday afternoon to play a round of golf.
Biden was pictured on the beachside course at the Buccaneer Hotel – where 18 holes costs $115 – wearing a bright blue baseball hat, a white polo shirt and navy shorts.
Photos show Hunter watching the president, who plays off a handicap of 6.7, hitting shots at the pin during the late afternoon round at the Caribbean resort.
For Biden, it was the 20th golf outing of his presidency. At this point, former President Donald Trump – who owns a number of golf courses in the U.S. and abroad – had played 108 rounds.
Hunter was spotted driving the golf cart, while at one point Secret Service helped the president locate a lost ball.
The president and Hunter spent a little more than two hours at the seaside resort before returning to their villa.
President Joe Biden takes a swing as he golfs with grandson Hunter at the Buccaneer Hotel in St. Croix Friday afternoon
President Joe Biden broke cover Friday to play a round of golf with his grandson Hunter during his holiday break on St. Croix
President Joe Biden golfed with his grandson Hunter, the son of the late Beau Biden, at the Buccaneer Hotel in St. Croix Friday afternoon
President Joe Biden and grandson Hunter Biden golfed Friday afternoon at the Buccaneer Hotel’s course, which boasts waterfront views
President Joe Biden is seen on the golf course of the Buccaneer Hotel Friday with grandson Hunter Biden (left, seated in golf cart)
President Joe Biden and grandson Hunter Biden played golf Friday at the oceanside Buccaneer Hotel on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Secret Service agents help President Joe Biden locate a lost ball during a game of golf Friday on St. Croix
The Bidens are staying at the St Croix home of billionaire Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville, according to the White House.
He made his fortune in the tech industry, while she is a self-employed designer.
The Nevilles were among the 300 people invited to Biden’s state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron on December 1.
The Bidens are not paying rent but staying as ‘guests’ at the home on Solitude Bay, a private community with its own beach. Houses there can sell for around $3million, according to property websites.
A luxury family vacation rental on St Croix can run up to $5,000 a night, according to vacation websites.
The home is owned by Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville
Bill and Connie Neville are Democratic donors estimated to be worth a billion dollars
The three-bedroom house has views of Caribbean and a private pool
President Joe Biden and family are staying for free at home of billionaire Democratic donor on St Croix – largest of US Virgin Islands
The house has its own pool along with gorgeous views of the Caribbean.
It also has private beach access.
On Thursday, Biden donned a suit and tie to sign the 4,000-page, $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, which will fund the government through September 2023.
The bill had to be flown to Biden commercially from Washington.
‘Today, I signed the bipartisan omnibus bill, ending a year of historic progress. It’ll invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, VAWA funding – and gets crucial assistance to Ukraine. Looking forward to more in 2023,’ the president shared on Instagram.
President Joe Biden, pictured with Jill Biden and granddaughter Natalie, arrived in St Croix on Tuesday evening to spend New Year’s Eve in the sun
The caption in this Instagram post from the official POTUS account read: ‘The caption in this Instagram post from the official POTUS account read: ‘Today, I signed the bipartisan omnibus bill, ending a year of historic progress’
Congress passed the massive budget bill last week but then it had to go through a complicated enrollment process that involves printing the text of the bill on parchment paper, with a certificate page that is signed by the speaker of the House and the president pro temp of the Senate.
After that is completed, it is transferred to the White House for the president’s signature. It would have gone to the staff secretary’s office, which is responsible for all the paperwork the president must sign.
It’s not the first time a piece of legislation has flown commercial to the president’s location.
In May, a $40billion US package of assistance for Ukraine was sent with a staffer on a commercial flight to South Korea, when Biden was in Seoul for meetings with Asian leaders.
