President Biden and First Lady visit Staten Island for Thanksgiving feast

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden had an aboriginal Thanksgiving solemnisation successful New York City connected Monday, traveling to Staten Island for a four-hour sojourn and feast with work members and their families.

Father Capodanno Boulevard closed from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. truthful the Bidens could bask a “Friendsgiving” meal astatine Fort Wadsworth soon aft 6 p.m.

The meal gathering was portion of the First Lady’s Joining Forces inaugural to enactment the families of work members and veterans, caregivers and survivors. Jill Biden and erstwhile First Lady Michelle Obama started Joining Forces successful 2011. The group’s enactment focuses is connected “Employment, Education, Wellness” for subject families, according to an archived property merchandise from the Obama White House.

A sitting president past visited Staten Island erstwhile Barack Obama surveyed harm done by Hurricane Sandy successful 2012, according to the Staten Island Advance.

Air Force One landed astatine John F. Kennedy International Airport astir 5 p.m. earlier heading to Miller Field successful New Dorp. The Bidens planned to caput location to the White House by 9:40 p.m.

While immoderate Staten Island residence groused astir question delays triggered by a statesmanlike motorcade, others recovered the sojourn exciting.

“Whatever your views, it’s inactive the president and not thing you spot each day,” Donna Curatola told the Staten Island Express.

In 2020, Staten Islanders reportedly picked Republican campaigner Donald Trump implicit Biden by astir 15 points. They voted for Trump implicit Kamala Harris by treble that fig earlier this month.

Hundreds of radical turned retired to greet the Bidens connected Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York brass provided the soundtrack.

Biden, who served arsenic Obama’s vice president from 2008 to 2016, started his Thanksgiving week successful Washington D.C. with the traditional statesmanlike pardoning of 2 turkeys named Peach and Blossom.

“Well, fellas, your supplication is going to beryllium answered today,” Biden joked to the birds who volition caput to a sanctuary alternatively than a meal table.

The president, who turned 82 past week, will walk Thanksgiving Day with his household successful Nantucket, Mass. According to the Cape Cod Times, that Biden household contented reportedly dates backmost to 1975. This volition beryllium Biden’s last Thanksgiving arsenic the nation’s commander-in-chief. He leaves bureau Jan. 20.