President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Thursday called into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with a holiday message from Nantucket, Mass.
“Thanks to the firefighters, the police officers, first responders — they never take a break,” Biden said on the call with NBC meteorologist Dylan Dreyer.
“And God bless our troops, for sure,” the first lady added.
The pair said they plan to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family and “take a walk on the beach,” as well as spending some time talking with first responders.
“And by the way, we’re going to be talking with some of our troops later today, both here and abroad … God bless our troops, for real,” the president said.
New York City has reportedly planned tight security surrounding the annual parade in the wake of two high-profile mass shootings in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Chesapeake, Va., this week.
The president and first lady traveled to Nantucket for the Thanksgiving holiday earlier this week after a celebratory few days at the White House, with the wedding of granddaughter Naomi Biden and the president’s 80th birthday.
“This is a special time in the greatest country on Earth, so let us be grateful,” Biden said in a proclamation on Thanksgiving.
“America is a great Nation because we are a good people. This holiday, we celebrate all that brings us together, grounded in history and our shared hopes for the future.”