Former President Joe Biden returns to St. Croix for the holidays and attends Mass in Christiansted

CHRISTIANSTED, St. Croix — Former President Joe Biden is back on St. Croix for the holiday season, continuing a pattern of year-end visits that has become familiar to residents in recent years. On Sunday, Dec. 28, Biden was seen at Holy Cross Catholic Church in downtown Christiansted, where he participated in Mass.

The appearance adds to a streak of recent holiday-season time spent on St. Croix, where Biden has repeatedly ushered in the New Year with family. The island has long been part of the Biden family’s holiday routine, dating back to his vice-presidential years, when he spent New Year’s on St. Croix in both 2015 and 2016.

During his presidency, St. Croix again became a regular year-end destination. In late December 2022, the White House announced Biden and First Lady Jill Biden would spend the New Year on the Big Island with family, marking his first visit to the territory as a sitting president. The following season, as Crucian Christmas Festival preparations ramped up, public safety officials addressed the added security considerations that accompany a presidential holiday stay, describing an “all hands on deck” posture and an expanded law enforcement footprint tied to the high-profile period.

Those past visits have carried visible ripple effects beyond the symbolism of a president choosing St. Croix as a retreat. Previous holiday seasons have brought heightened security activity and related disruptions, including traffic reroutes and travel complications that affected festival logistics and attendance. At the same time, local officials have pointed to the national visibility that comes with the presidential presence and the traveling press corps.

“You know the good thing is to come and see Air Force One at our airport. That is amazing; it blows my mind when I say that. St. Croix, you can't buy that kind of publicity. If it's good enough for the president of the United States, people are like, 'what am I missing,'” Governor Albert Bryan Jr. said during the 2022-2023 holiday season.

This year, Biden’s visit comes as a former president, returning again to St. Croix during the holidays and making a public appearance in Christiansted as residents and visitors move through the heart of the season.