SNO-WHERE TO GO, JOE
Storm leaves him stuck on tarmac
Air Force One was hit by a weather-related travel delay Monday when it landed in the middle of a winter storm outside Washington and was unable to drop off President Biden due to about three inches of snow covering the ground.
The president, returning from a post-Christmas vacation in Delaware, had to sit on the tarmac for 36 minutes after landing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
“Due to the snow, deboarding the plane was delayed about a half hour so that the tarmac could be plowed,” wrote Politico reporter Hailey Fuchs, who was aboard the plane, in a pool report.
Snow-related trouble with moving a mobile staircase also delayed Biden’s return to the White House, according to journalists.
When he finally disembarked, Biden held a hand over his face to deflect the driving snow as he walked down the steps to his motorcade.
Due to poor visibility, Biden could not return to the White House by helicopter and his motorcade took almost twice as long as usual to make the drive. At one point, vehicles in the motorcade appeared to get stuck.
“President Biden has returned to the White House after a slippery motorcade through heavy snow. The ride took more than an hour, at one point coming to a complete stop for several mins on Pennsylvania Ave,” tweeted CBS News Radio reporter Steven Portnoy.
It’s unclear why Biden chose to return to DC during the storm rather than on Sunday evening under clear skies, but he often returns to the White House on Mondays following long weekends at his Delaware homes.
Fewer than three inches of snow had accumulated when Air Force One landed, according to a chart published by The Washington Post’s weather division, but about 10 inches fell in the DC area.
A dusting regularly cripples government operations in DC when its hit by severe wintry weather.