Joe Biden to spend New Year's holiday with family in U.S. Virgin Islands

EN ROUTE TO ST. CROIX – President Joe Biden will be ringing in the new year in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Biden and first lady Jill Biden departed Tuesday for St. Croix, where they will spend several days with family. The Bidens have vacationed in the Caribbean territory several times – they welcomed the new year there in 2015 and 2016 – but this is Biden’s first visit as president.

Biden becomes the first sitting president to visit the Virgin Islands since Harry Truman delivered a speech in Christiansted on St. Croix in 1948.

Barack Obama and Bill Clinton also visited the Virgin Islands, but not while they were president.

The White House has said Biden and his family plan to use the holiday break to discuss whether he should run for a second term in 2024. Biden has said he intends to run, but no formal decision has been made.

While departing the White House Tuesday, Biden did not respond to questions about whether he would discuss running for re-election in 2024 while in St. Croix.

The Bidens are scheduled to return to Washington on Jan. 2.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden and family vacation in Virgin Islands for New Year's holiday