President Biden has retreated to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Friday after a quiet week, during which he held only one public event. He arrived there late Thursday night and remains away from the White House amid a tumultuous period both globally and economically. No events are scheduled for him today.
International tensions remain high, with the threat of an Iranian counterattack on Israel still looming after the recent killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas officials in Lebanon and Iran. Additionally, Russia has declared a “federal-level” emergency in its Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. This follows one of the largest surprise attacks by Ukrainian forces since the conflict began over two years ago, with around 1,000 Ukrainian troops reportedly entering Russian territory, where fighting continues.
On the economic front, Wall Street has had a turbulent week. A global market sell-off on Monday led to significant drops in the Dow Jones, Nasdaq Composite, and S&P 500. Although the jobless claims report released on Thursday eased some concerns of an economic downturn, U.S. economist Stephanie Pomboy warned on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” that this might be just the beginning of a “reckoning” for both the economy and the markets.
Biden’s sole public appearance this week was on Thursday when he welcomed the Texas Rangers, the reigning World Series champions, to the White House. After giving remarks on the team’s championship season, Biden was presented with a customized jersey and a pair of cowboy boots by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. In a light-hearted moment, after posing for a photo, Biden asked, “All right, what am I doing now?” which elicited laughter from the guests and players.