The president had spent the weekend in his home state of Delaware when snow began accumulating early Monday. The storm came as a surprise to many, and quickly became one of the most severe storms in recent years in Washington DC and other parts of the mid-Atlantic, causing flight and travel issues not only for the president, but for millions of Americans.
Despite crew members at Andrews Air Force Base valiantly clearing the snow from the ground prior to Air Force One’s landing, Biden, White House staffers and the president’s Secret Service detail struggled to deplane due to an airstair truck becoming stuck in the snow.
President Joe Biden's motorcade sits on the tarmac next to Air Force One during winter snowstorm at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, just before the president departs for the drive to Washington.
© AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster
After photos and videos of Biden deplaning Air Force One went viral during the snowstorm, some social media users saw it as an opportunity to poke fun at and compare Biden to former US President Donald Trump.
The plane was decidedly the safest way for the president to travel back to the White House, as driving from Delaware to the nation’s capital would have presented additional security issues. Severe weather blocked visibility, preventing the president from taking a helicopter from Andrews Air Force Base to the White House; he was made to travel via motorcade.
Once on the ground, the president’s motorcade encountered struggles as a result of poor road conditions. The motorcade is said to have driven through DC at barely 20 miles per hour, slowing as it passed other vehicles stranded on slick roads. The trip usually takes the motorcade 30 minutes to complete - Monday’s weather turned the trip into an hour-long drive.
Earlier, the severe snowstorm forced the White House to cancel its daily press briefing. Many other federal offices, transport services, and museums in DC were also closed as a result of the inclement weather.