President Joe Biden urged Americans to seek unity and avoid conflict during a call into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, called NBC News’s Al Roker before the Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. During the call, he offered hopeful remarks to Roker, asking Americans to work together to address issues that the United States faces. The remarks contrast with the general public’s views, which polls show are tired of the state of politics.
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“On this Thanksgiving, Al, we have to come together,” the president said. “We can have different political views, but we have one view. The one view is that we’re the finest, greatest nation in the world. We should focus on that.”
“We should focus on dealing with our problems and being together and stop the rancor,” Biden added. “We have to bring the nation together and treat each other with a little bit of decency, and I think that’s where the vast majority of the American people are.”
While Biden appears to hold a positive view of American optimism, polling shows a more dismal reality. Favorable views of several governmental and political institutions are at historic lows, according to Pew Research. Sixty-five percent of Americans say that American politics makes them feel “exhausted,” while 55% say that politics makes them feel “angry.”
Americans appear dissatisfied with their options in the 2024 election as well — 63% of Americans said that they are dissatisfied with the current candidates that are available for election. Nearly 3 in 10 hold unfavorable views of both Republicans and Democrats.
Biden and his family are spending Thanksgiving at the home of David Rubenstein, co-founder of the private-equity-focused Carlyle Group. There, the president called units in each branch of the military, according to the White House. They later visited the Nantucket Fire Department to deliver pie boxes.
The family also took part in its annual “polar bear plunge” in Nantucket’s cold waters, according to photos posted by Biden’s eldest granddaughter.
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Biden is also monitoring the Israel-Hamas deal to release hostages during his Thanksgiving break. The two military forces agreed to pause the fighting at midnight EST, with hostages being handed over around 9 a.m.
