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Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, like millions of Americans, were quietly celebrating Thanksgiving at home Thursday as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the United States.
Biden was vacationing in the small seaside town of Rehoboth, Delaware, where he and his wife Jill have a vacation home. The Bidens will host their daughter Ashley Biden and her husband, Dr. Howard Kerin, for the holiday meal.
President Donald Trump, left, and President-elect Joe Biden
(Photo: AP)
The former vice president, who appeared with his wife Jill in a video message posted on his Twitter account on Thanksgiving, said his family usually holds a large gathering on the island of Nantucket, off Massachusetts, but would remain in Delaware this year “with only a small group around our dinner table” due to the pandemic.
In a presidential-style address to a nation that has lost more than 260,000 lives to the coronavirus, Biden said Americans were making a “sacrifice shared by the entire country” and a “statement of common purpose” by staying home with their families. immediate families. .
“I know this is not the way many of us expected our vacation to be spent. We know that a small act of staying home is a gift to our fellow Americans,” said Biden, who will be sworn in as president next January. 20. “I know better days are coming.”
Republican President Trump often likes to celebrate the holidays at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida, but on Thursday he remained in the Washington area. It was very different from last year when he made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he served turkey to American troops before sitting down to dinner with them on Thanksgiving.
Unlike Biden, who pleaded with Americans to celebrate the holiday safely with the use of masks and social distancing, Trump, in his Thanksgiving proclamation on Wednesday, urged Americans to “come together” for the holiday. .
United States President Donald Trump plays golf at Trump National Golf Club on Thanksgiving
(Photo: Getty Images)
“I encourage all Americans to come together, in homes and places of worship, to offer a prayer of thanks to God for our many blessings,” said the President, who recovered from his own COVID-19 case last month. , it’s a statement.
Trump has frequently ignored public health warnings and hosted large groups at the White House, with many of his guests refusing to wear masks. In addition to Trump, several other prominent Americans, including First Lady Melania Trump and members of Congress, tested positive for COVID-19 following such events.
Masked handlers wait to lift and blow up large balloons on Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
(Photo: Getty Images)
While fewer than normal Americans are expected to travel this year for Thanksgiving, millions still defied pleas from state and local officials and health experts to go to family gatherings instead of staying home. despite the increasing rate of infection.
Deaths in the United States from COVID-19 topped 2,000 in a single day on Tuesday for the first time since May, and hospitalizations hit a record high of more than 89,000 on Wednesday.
Biden, who defeated Trump in the Nov.3 election, has gone ahead with the transition to his new administration and has vowed to prioritize fighting the virus. Earlier this week, he announced key members of his foreign policy and national security team and promised to announce more appointments, including his economic team, in the coming days.
A small crowd gathers at the NYPD barricades during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
(Photo: Getty Images)
Despite not yet admitting defeat, Trump agreed to let Biden’s transition officially proceed, clearing the way, for example, for the Democrat to receive high-level intelligence reports.
But the president continues to make unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, while his legal advisers continue to make efforts to overturn the results, with little success.
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