Blinken Asked to Vacate Hamptons Beach During Hurricane Closure, Lifeguards Enforce Safety Rules
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. – In a moment that perfectly blended the mundane with the high-profile, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked to leave a popular East Hampton beach on Friday afternoon as lifeguards enforced closures due to dangerous conditions from Hurricane Erin. The incident, captured by paparazzi photos, offers a glimpse into the strict safety protocols coastal communities are implementing to protect residents and visitors from the storm’s lingering threats.
The photos tell a succinct story: first, Blinken, who served as the nation’s top diplomat under President Biden until earlier this year, and a companion are seen relaxed in low-sitting beach chairs on the sands of Georgica Beach. They are chatting, looking out at the water, seemingly enjoying a classic Hamptons summer afternoon.
The next series of images show the scene shifting. A lifeguard and a parked beach patrol vehicle are next to the two men. Blinken, barefoot and wearing sunglasses, and his friend are then gathered their belongings—chairs, bags, a towel—and making their way across the sand back toward the parking lot.
While the images might suggest a minor celebrity confrontation, the context is purely about public safety. A spokesperson for East Hampton Village’s Main Beach Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that all village beaches, including Georgica, were closed for several days due to the hazardous conditions produced along the East Coast by Hurricane Erin.
“The beach was closed to foot traffic all Thursday and Friday until around midday,” the spokesperson said in an email. “Friday we were able to open each beach to foot traffic after the tide dropped out. The storm brought strong rip currents, storm surge waves, and large debris. All our precautions were to keep patrons and staff as safe as possible!”
This timeline indicates that Blinken and his friend arrived before the official “all-clear” for foot traffic was given around midday Friday. Lifeguards, tasked with ensuring no one is put in harm’s way, would have been routinely patrolling to ensure the closure was being respected until that time.
A Community Bracing for Impact
The request for Blinken to leave the beach was not an isolated incident but part of a broader, serious effort by New York officials to mitigate the risks from Hurricane Erin. While the storm weakened as it traveled north, it still delivered powerful rip currents, significant storm surge, and coastal flooding to the Long Island shoreline.
Earlier in the week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged residents in coastal areas to exercise extreme caution.
“New Yorkers are no strangers to hurricanes — that is why I’m urging those living in areas that may be impacted to stay safe and exercise caution until the hurricane tapers off later this week,” Hochul said in a statement.
For communities like East Hampton, where tourism is a lifeblood of the local economy but the power of the Atlantic Ocean is ever-present, this balancing act is a familiar summer challenge. The decision to close beaches is never taken lightly, but the priority remains preventing tragedy in deceptively dangerous waters.
A Recurring Theme of Leisure-Time Scrutiny
For Antony Blinken, the incident marks another instance where his choice of leisure activities has drawn public attention, often from critics. The former Secretary of State is no stranger to this type of scrutiny.
In August 2021, he was vacationing in the Hamptons just hours before Kabul fell to Taliban insurgents, a chaotic culmination of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that sparked intense criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the situation. While officials can and do work remotely, the optics of being at a premium vacation spot during an international crisis became a focal point for detractors.
Similarly, in May 2023, Blinken faced online backlash from some conservatives for a performance at a bar in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he played a rendition of “Rockin’ in the Free World” on guitar with a local band. While intended as a show of solidarity with a nation fiercely defending its democracy against Russian invasion, critics labeled the moment as tone-deaf while the war raged on just miles away.
This latest beach incident, however, is fundamentally different. It is less about international policy and more about a simple, universal concept: following the rules. In the eyes of a lifeguard doing a critical job, it didn’t matter if the person on the sand was a former Cabinet secretary or a vacationing family; the beach was closed, and everyone had to go.
The story ultimately serves as a reminder that nature’s rules trump all else. Hurricane Erin’ dangers necessitated closures for everyone’s safety, and the enforcement of those rules is a non-negotiable duty for first responders. For his part, the photos show Blinken complying without any visible fuss, gathering his things and heading off the sand—just like anyone else would be expected to do.
Fox News Digital reached out to Antony Blinken for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
