Joe Biden Tweets Resort Fees Disdain After Las Vegas Campaigning

Posted on: February 6, 2024, 03:42h. 

Last updated on: February 7, 2024, 08:44h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

President Joe Biden arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday, and by the time he left on Monday morning, he was tweeting his disdain for pesky junk fees.

Junk fees, commonly called resort fees in the U.S. hospitality and gaming industries, are costs tacked on at the end of the online booking process that aren’t typically disclosed upfront. In Las Vegas, resort fees can considerably increase the final cost of a reservation, as such daily charges are now as much as $50 a night, plus tax.

We’ve made progress, but there is much more work to do to lower costs for American families,” the president’s X account tweeted on Sunday. “That’s why I’m taking action to bring down the price of insulin, prescription drugs, and energy and eliminating hidden junk fees companies use to rip you off.”

On Monday, Biden focused more on those so-called junk fees.

“When companies sneak hidden junk fees into families’ bills, it can take hundreds of dollars a month out of their pockets and make it harder to make ends meet. That might not matter to the wealthy, but it’s real money to hardworking families — and it’s just plain wrong,” another Biden tweet read.

Biden in the past has grouped resort fees into his junk fees opposition, though he didn’t specifically mention hotels in his recent tweets. In October 2022, Biden directed the Federal Trade Commission to “work on a rule to crack down on unfair and deceptive fees across all industries.”

And during his February State of the Union Address that year, the president said his administration would “ban surprise resort fees.”

Biden’s Time in Las Vegas

Biden arrived in Las Vegas from Los Angeles, where he attended a private campaign fundraiser in the home of Star Wars and Indiana Jones filmmaker George Lucas.

While in Southern Nevada, the president participated in an afternoon campaign event at the private Henderson residence of Brian and Myra Greenspun. Brian inherited a media empire from his late father, Hank Greenspun, that included the Las Vegas Sun. The younger Greenspun was a college roommate of President Bill Clinton and has been a stalwart supporter of the Democratic Party.

The president on Sunday evening attended a campaign rally at the Pearson Community Center with several Democratic members of Nevada’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen and Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus.

Titus has opposed federal efforts to make resort fees illegal, though she said last February that she supports “transparency in pricing.”

Union Rally

On Monday, Biden stopped by Vdara, a nongaming hotel at the Strip’s CityCenter complex operated by MGM Resorts, where he met with union leaders and MGM executives.

I have a reputation that I’m proud of — being the most pro-union president in American history. And there’s a simple reason for that. When unions are doing well, everybody does well,” Biden declared to roaring applause.

Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign is in full force. The 46th president won over 96% of the vote during Saturday’s primary in South Carolina. The landslide victory exceeded most expectations and sent a clear message that Democrats in South Carolina aren’t ready or willing to back a primary challenger to the incumbent.

Biden’s shares on PredictIt’s 2024 presidential outcome are trading at 48 cents. Former President Donald Trump is at 44 cents.