President Joe Biden kicked off 2023 by watching the sunrise with his wife from the private beach of their luxury St. Croix villa and then attending mass at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in downtown Christiansted.
The president could be seen taking communion through the church's tall open windows. It was nearly 80 degrees already Sunday morning, but a Caribbean breeze blew through the town.
Asked if he had made any new year's resolutions, he said 'good year, next year' and said he was 'looking forward to it,' giving reporters a thumbs up as he exited the cream and white church and got into his black SUV.
The church dates back to 1755, but was extensively renovated in the 1950s, according to a website documenting St. Croix landmarks.
The president and first lady woke up at 6:30 a.m. to watch the sunrise - the first of the new year and the first in the United States, as St. Croix is the country's easternmost point.
In the past, the Bidens have joined island residents and tourists to take in the first sunrise of the new year at Point Udall.
The president has popped out several times since arriving on the island on Tuesday.
On Friday night, he wouldn't say if he's made a decision to run for reelection as he departed a restaurant Friday night with his family in downtown Christiansted on St. Croix.
'There's an election coming up?' Biden said to questions about 2024 as he departed Savant, one of the top-rated restaurants on the tropical island. '2023 is going to be a good year,' the president added.
He dined with first lady Jill Biden and grandchildren Hunter, 16, and Natalie, 18, the children of his late son, Beau Biden.
Daughter Ashley and her husband Howard Krein are also spending the New Year's holiday on the U.S. Virgin Island, a place the Bidens have frequented for years.
This is, however, Biden's first trip to the U.S. territory as president.
The president said it was nice to have his grandkids, his daughter and 'the whole dang family' around - as they stay at a three-bedroom luxury villa with a private beach, as 'guests' of top Democratic donors.
During his press conference a day after the midterms, Biden had said he'd talk 2024 with his family members during a holiday getaway, however he said on Nantucket over Thanksgiving that those conversations weren't happening yet.
'We're not having any, we're celebrating,' Biden told reporters as he walked through the Massachusetts island town. 'Not yet,' he told DailyMail.com when asked if he'd made a decision on whether to run again.
Former President Donald Trump is already aching for a rematch with Biden, announcing a 2024 bid in mid-November.
On Friday night on St. Croix, Dr. Biden, who was sporting a royal blue outfit, said the meal out was 'great.'
The two-story restaurant, which is painted blue, has an old world looking dining room and then a pretty patio out back.
Earlier, the president and first lady pre-taped an interview with Ryan Seacrest that will air Saturday night during his Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve program.
Before that, the president and grandson Hunter broke cover Friday afternoon to play a round of golf.
Biden was pictured on the beachside course at the Buccaneer Hotel - where 18 holes costs $115 - wearing a bright blue baseball hat, a white polo shirt and navy shorts.
Photos show Hunter watching the president, who plays off a handicap of 6.7, hitting shots at the pin during the late afternoon round at the Caribbean resort.
For Biden, it was the 20th golf outing of his presidency. At this point, former President Donald Trump - who owns a number of golf courses in the U.S. and abroad - had played 108 rounds.
Hunter was spotted driving the golf cart, while at one point Secret Service helped the president locate a lost ball.
The president and Hunter spent a little more than two hours at the seaside resort before returning to their villa.
The Bidens are staying at the St Croix home of billionaire Democratic donors Bill and Connie Neville, according to the White House.
He made his fortune in the tech industry, while she is a self-employed designer.
The Nevilles were among the 300 people invited to Biden's state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron on December 1.
The Bidens are not paying rent but staying as 'guests' at the home on Solitude Bay, a private community with its own beach. Houses there can sell for around $3million, according to property websites.
A luxury family vacation rental on St Croix can run up to $5,000 a night, according to vacation websites.
The house has its own pool along with gorgeous views of the Caribbean.
It also has private beach access.
On Thursday, Biden donned a suit and tie to sign the 4,000-page, $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, which will fund the government through September 2023.
The bill had to be flown to Biden commercially from Washington.
'Today, I signed the bipartisan omnibus bill, ending a year of historic progress. It'll invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, VAWA funding – and gets crucial assistance to Ukraine. Looking forward to more in 2023,' the president shared on Instagram.
Congress passed the massive budget bill last week but then it had to go through a complicated enrollment process that involves printing the text of the bill on parchment paper, with a certificate page that is signed by the speaker of the House and the president pro temp of the Senate.
After that is completed, it is transferred to the White House for the president's signature. It would have gone to the staff secretary's office, which is responsible for all the paperwork the president must sign.
It's not the first time a piece of legislation has flown commercial to the president's location.
In May, a $40billion US package of assistance for Ukraine was sent with a staffer on a commercial flight to South Korea, when Biden was in Seoul for meetings with Asian leaders.
