BIDEN FRIENDSGIVING EVENT: POTUS & FIRST LADY VISIT COASTIES IN NEW YORK
November is a time of coming together as friends and family to enjoy food and to be thankful for the good in our lives. However, things were a little different this year for some of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). President Joe Biden and the First Lady visited Fort Wadsworth in New York. Though not everyone knew how to separate politics from the nice occasion, here’s how the Biden Friendsgiving event went.
Coast Guard Thankful for Biden Friendsgiving Event at Fort Wadsworth
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden touched down in New York for a Friendsgiving Event at the U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York.
Both service members and their families got to meet and eat with the POTUS and First Lady on November 25, 2024.
The President traveled first by Air Force One to John F. Kennedy International Airport where they would board a helicopter and head to Miller Field by helicopter, where hundreds of people greeted their arrival.
From there, the Commander-in-Chief and First Lady headed to U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York by motorcade.
A Look Inside the Event
Inside the base, over 350 Coast Guardsmen and their families were in attendance to hear the First Lady speak about her Joining Forces initiative, while President Biden took lighthearted jabs at his age before thanking the service members for all that they do.
The Joining Forces project handles plenty of different areas affecting the military community but primarily focuses on supporting Veterans, active duty service members, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
In thanking the USCG, the President spoke, saying, "You're an incredible group. Coasties are incredible. I've had the opportunity to do the commencement speech at the (Coast Guard) Academy for a number of years, and you're incredible. I really mean it. No branch in the military is stationed in more places than all of you. You're there for everything. And folks, I know you're hungry, so I won't speak pretty long, but just thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all you do and continue to do."
Additionally, President Biden named several examples when Coasties answered the call to serve, including Hurricane Milton, the Baltimore Bridge crash, and preventing weapons from falling into the hands of the Houthis from Iran.
However, there were more than just speeches shared at Biden’s Friendsgiving Event, popular chef and TV personality Robert Irvine catered a true Thanksgiving feast for the President, service members, and their families.
Notably, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis was in attendance and privately thanked Biden for attending the Friendsgiving event.
While meeting with Biden, the two were able to have a private conversation to discuss various topics, most notably, how the Federal Infrastructure Law is going to benefit the USCG at Fort Wadsworth.
Biden Friendsgiving Event Not Loved by Everyone
Hundreds of people lined up in Staten Island to see Biden arrive, with many excited to get a glimpse of the President.
The same can be said about the motorcade. Wherever the Bidens went, there were plenty of New Yorkers looking to get a look.
However, many Staten Islanders were providing a less-than-welcoming arrival for the POTUS, holding signs that ranged from the explicit to the topical but the sentiments of disapproval were the main theme nonetheless.
Furthermore, there was a small group protesting the ongoing fight between Hamas and Israel in support of Palestine also present.
This is the first time a sitting President went to Staten Island in over a decade when Obama visited in 2012 in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Regardless of protests and anyone’s political preference, it’s nice to see the President taking time to eat with and thank some of the service members who continue to defend our nation.
The Biden Friendsgiving Event is a reminder of what Thanksgiving is all about, being thankful for the food and people in our lives regardless of our differences, along with the freedoms we all enjoy in the United States.
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