President Barack Obama interrupted his Martha's Vineyard vacation and returned to the White House Sunday evening to meet with Vice President Joe Biden and military officials to handle crises at home and abroad.
According to the Associated Press, Obama made the move as tensions in Ferguson, Mo., and in Iraq continue to grow.
AP notes that the president had been receiving updates on both situations while on vacation and that it was unclear as to why the president had to return home as "the White House had also already announced Obama's plans to return to Washington before the U.S. air strikes in Iraq began."
The president's decision to interrupt his two-week vacation appears to have been fueled by growing criticism of the commander in chief vacationing while tensions remain high in Ferguson, Mo., after an unarmed African-American teen was fatally shot by a white police officer. During the first week of his vacation, Obama made statements about the clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, as well as the situation in Iraq. AP reports that the president "also called foreign leaders to discuss the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, as well as between Israel and Hamas."
"I think it's fair to say there are, of course, ongoing complicated situations in the world, and that's why you've seen the president stay engaged," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told AP.
According to AP, the president isn't going to miss that much time on the golf course as he is noted to return to Martha's Vineyard on Tuesday and will stay through next weekend.
Read more at the Associated Press.