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REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware / WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump, like millions of Americans, stayed close to home to celebrate Thanksgiving in silence Thursday as the coronavirus pandemic spread. all over the country.
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.
The former vice president, who appeared with his wife in a video message posted on his Twitter account on Thanksgiving, said his family usually holds a large gathering on Nantucket Island, off Massachusetts, but would remain in Delaware. this year “with only a small group. around our table” because of the pandemic.
Thanksgiving has always been a special time for the Biden family. And while I know this is not the way many of us expected to spend the holidays, the little act of staying home is a gift to our fellow Americans. pic.twitter.com/4mHOEFIcjV
– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 26, 2020
In the presidential-style address to a nation that has lost more than 260,000 lives to the coronavirus, the Democratic president-elect said Americans were making a “sacrifice shared by the entire country” and a “statement of common purpose” by staying in. House. with their immediate relatives.
“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, spending part of the morning at his Trump National Golf Club in Virginia where he played a round of golf.
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. The president is scheduled to speak with members of the military on Thursday afternoon.
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. .
“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.
On Thursday, the president tweeted “HAPPY THANKSGIVING!” in response to the US Supreme Court’s decision Wednesday night to prevent New York State from imposing limits on attendance at religious services.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY! https://t.co/56e8Qy7O22
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2020
BIDEN TRANSITION
While fewer than normal Americans are expected to travel this year for Thanksgiving, millions still turned out for family gatherings defying pleas from state and local officials and health experts to stay home due to the rising rate. of infection.
Daily deaths in the United States from COVID-19 topped 2,000 on Wednesday and hospitalizations reached a record high of more than 89,000.
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 teams and promised to announce more appointments, including his economic team, in the coming days.
But he has been criticized by members of his own party, including black lawmaker James Clyburn, the majority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, who voiced disappointment Wednesday that African Americans, a constituency critical to the victory of Biden, so far they haven’t been more prominent. positions in incoming administration, The Hill reported.
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 election fraud, tweeting again Thursday that the election was “rigged,” while his legal team continues to strive to overturn the results, with little success. (Reporting by Simon Lewis, Jeff Mason, and Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Michael Martina; Written by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Michelle Price, Simon Cameron-Moore, and Paul Simao)
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