Former Secretary of State Blinken Escorted Off East Hampton Beach Amid Hurricane Closure
In a brief but notable incident last Friday, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken was apparently asked to leave Georgica Beach in East Hampton, New York, where he had been relaxing despite the beach being closed due to dangerous conditions from Hurricane Erin. Photos captured the moment Blinken and a companion, seated in beach chairs on the sand, were approached by a lifeguard with a patrol vehicle nearby. The images show the two men subsequently gathering their belongings—chairs, shoes, bags, and towels—before making their way across the sand and through the parking lot. The former Secretary of State, dressed casually and barefoot with sunglasses, complied with what appears to have been a request to leave the area that had been designated as closed to the public.
The closure of East Hampton beaches, including Georgica Beach, had been implemented for several days as a safety precaution due to the hazardous conditions created by Hurricane Erin along the East Coast. According to a spokesperson for East Hampton Village’s Main Beach Office, the water remained closed until the evening before the incident, per Suffolk County regulations. While beach access for foot traffic had reopened around midday on Friday after the tide receded, the beaches had been completely closed to all visitors on Thursday and earlier Friday. The spokesperson emphasized that these precautionary measures were necessary due to the storm’s dangerous effects, including “strong rip currents, storm surge waves, and large debris,” with all restrictions intended to “keep patrons and staff as safe as possible.”
The incident occurred as coastal communities throughout the northeastern United States were preparing for Hurricane Erin’s impact. New York Governor Kathy Hochul had issued statements earlier in the week urging residents to exercise caution, specifically mentioning the potential for “dangerous conditions along our beaches and coastal cities and towns.” Her public announcements reminded New Yorkers that while they were “no strangers to hurricanes,” they should nonetheless “stay safe and exercise caution until the hurricane tapers off later this week.” These warnings were part of a broader emergency response as the hurricane approached populated coastal areas, prompting beach closures and emergency declarations across multiple states.
This isn’t the first time Blinken has faced scrutiny over his leisure activities during challenging times. During his tenure as Secretary of State in the Biden administration, he famously vacationed in the Hamptons in August 2021, just hours before Taliban forces completed their takeover of Kabul, marking the dramatic conclusion to America’s twenty-year military presence in Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported on this timing, which some critics viewed as emblematic of the administration’s handling of the withdrawal. More recently, in May 2023, Blinken encountered online criticism from conservative commentators after he was seen playing guitar at a bar in Kyiv while the war in Ukraine continued unabated, raising questions about optics and priorities during international crises.
What makes this recent beach incident noteworthy isn’t merely that a former high-ranking government official was asked to leave a closed beach, but rather how it fits into ongoing discussions about privilege, rule-following, and the public behavior of political figures. While the East Hampton incident is relatively minor compared to more substantial controversies surrounding Blinken’s diplomatic career, it provides a humanizing glimpse of a public figure navigating the same restrictions as ordinary citizens. The photos showing Blinken complying with the lifeguard’s apparent instructions suggest he respected the safety protocols once they were brought to his attention, though questions remain about why he was on the closed beach in the first place.
Fox News Digital reportedly reached out to Blinken for comment on the incident, but no response was mentioned in the original reporting. This small episode, while hardly consequential in terms of national politics or international relations, serves as a reminder that even former Secretaries of State must abide by local safety regulations—especially those implemented to protect the public during extreme weather events. As coastal communities continue to face increasing challenges from climate-related weather phenomena, the enforcement of beach closures and other safety measures will likely remain a necessary, if sometimes inconvenient, reality for beachgoers of all backgrounds, political affiliations, and former titles.
