By Mary Lou Masters
President Joe Biden will be joined by his son, Hunter, as he embarks on yet another lengthy vacation at a property belonging to billionaire climate activist and Democratic megadonor Tom Steyer at Lake Tahoe, California, according to multiple reports.
Biden has faced criticism for remaining largely silent on the wildfire disaster in Maui, Hawaii, and vacationing on the beach in Delaware. The president is renting Steyer’s home at “fair market value” through the remainder of the week, with Hunter and multiple other family members in attendance, according to multiple reports.
Steyer ran against Biden for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and withdrew from the race in February after placing third in South Carolina’s primary. The prominent climate activist threw his support behind Biden’s presidential bid months later.
The former candidate encouraged Biden to lean into more left-wing policies to combat climate change in his presidential bid and appeal to a younger electorate concerned with such issues, according to Politico. Steyer later met with Biden’s campaign to express interest about a role in his then-potential administration.
Biden and the First Lady arrived at the Lake Tahoe home late Friday evening, but are planning to visit the Hawaiian island devastated by wildfires on Monday. The president will then return to his vacation where he and his family will remain until next Saturday, according to Bloomberg.
The president drew backlash last week after appearing to respond with “no comment” when asked about the Maui disaster while relaxing on the beach in Delaware.
The Biden family vacation comes a week after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss as special counsel to continue investigating Hunter. Weiss received sharp criticism for a plea deal between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Hunter that included a pretrial diversion agreement, which would have immunized the president’s son from certain future prosecutions had it not collapsed.
Neither the White House nor Steyer immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
