President Joe Biden thanked his billionaire donor friends for letting him and his extended family enjoy a free 7-day stay in their warm beachfront St. Croix villa in the US Virgin Islands while the US endured a frigid storm.
Biden jets home after a free 7-day stay at a swanky island villa courtesy of rich friends
President Joe Biden thanked his billionaire Democrat donor friends, Bill and Connie Neville, for giving him and his extended family a free 7-day vacation stay at their warm beachfront villa at St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
The property owners returned the favor after they were among a select group of 338 people in attendance at Biden’s first White House state dinner this month with French President Emmanuel Macron, Fox reported.
As the US was gripped in a brutal weekend winter blast before Christmas that saw at least 65 killed and over 10,000 flights canceled, the Biden clan jetted off to the warm climate of the US Virgin Islands and the Neville’s Caribbean paradise.
President Joe and First Lady Jill were accompanied by first daughter Ashley Biden, her husband Howard Krein, and their dog. The children of Biden’s late son Beau, Hunter, 16, and Natalie, 18, also came along.
Owners of the St. Croix property, Bill, 60, and Connie, 59, Neville, are originally from Alabama and have an estimated net worth of at least $1 billion. Bill is the founder of software company US Viking, which makes a news content platform called ENPS that’s marketed by the Associated Press and used by 800 news outlets around the globe, the New York Post reported.
A Caribbean paradise
The first family is not paying for use of the home on an island where luxury rentals of this caliber can fetch $5000 a night, the Daily Mail reports. The home on Solitude Bay, a private community with its own beach, features an in-ground pool, lush landscaping, and sweeping, gorgeous views of the Caribbean, along with direct, private beach access.
Presidents are supposed to report free lodging
When any US president receives free lodging, they are supposed to disclose it on annual financial disclosure forms that are released publicly each May, according to the NY Post. The form requires the president and vice president to disclose free lodging worth more than $390. According to ethics experts, the exception for “personal hospitality” reporting on the form does not cover instances where the homeowner isn’t present.
According to local news reports, this isn’t the first time Biden has visited St. Croix. He’s done so at least five times between 2014 in 2016 and at least one time before launching his presidential campaign in 2019.
Further, as president, twice he has stayed at the Nantucket home of billionaire David Rubenstein, co-founder of the private equity Carlyle Group, presumably for free. When Biden was Vice President, he also did not disclose lodging from the Nevilles and omitted known free trips to Kiawah Island from the forms, according to the Post.
