Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and sitting Republican President Donald Trump, like millions of Americans, have been celebrating Thanksgiving quietly at dwelling on Thursday, as the coronavirus pandemic raged across the United States.
Biden was spending the vacation in the compact seaside town of Rehoboth, Delaware, exactly where he and his wife Jill have a trip dwelling. The Bidens are hosting daughter Ashley Biden and her husband Dr. Howard Krein for the vacation meal.
The former vice president, appearing with his wife Jill in a video message posted to his Twitter account on Thanksgiving, stated his family members normally holds a massive gathering on the island of Nantucket off Massachusetts, but would stay in Delaware this year “with just a small group around our dinner table” due to the fact of the pandemic.
In the presidential-style address to a nation that has lost additional than 260,000 lives to the coronavirus, Biden stated Americans have been generating a “shared sacrifice for the whole country” and a “statement of common purpose” by staying at dwelling with their quick households.
“I know this isn’t the way many of us hoped we’d spend our holiday. We know that a small act of staying home is a gift to our fellow Americans,” stated Biden, who will be sworn in as president on Jan. 20. “I know better days are coming.”
Republican President Trump typically likes to celebrate holidays at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida, but on Thursday he remained in the Washington location, spending element of the morning at his Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.
It was a far cry from final year when he created a surprise take a look at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-afghanistan/trump-makes-surprise-afghanistan-trip-voices-hope-for-ceasefire-idUSKBN1Y225Y to Afghanistan, exactly where he served turkey to U.S. troops ahead of sitting down to consume Thanksgiving dinner with them. The president is scheduled to speak with members of the military Thursday afternoon.
In contrast to Biden, who pleaded with Americans to celebrate the vacation safely by wearing masks and socially distancing, Trump in his Thanksgiving proclamation on Wednesday urged Americans to “gather” for the vacation.
“I encourage all Americans to gather, in homes and places of worship, to offer a prayer of thanks to God for our many blessings,” the president, who recovered from his personal case of COVID-19 final month, stated in a statement.
Trump has regularly ignored public wellness warnings and hosted massive groups at the White House, with quite a few of his guests refusing to put on masks. In addition to Trump, quite a few other prominent Americans which includes 1st lady Melania Trump and members of Congress have tested constructive for COVID-19 following such events.
On Thursday, the president tweeted “HAPPY THANKSGIVING!” in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s selection late on Wednesday to block New York state from imposing attendance limits at religious solutions.
BIDEN TRANSITION
While fewer Americans than regular are anticipated to travel this year for Thanksgiving, millions nonetheless defied pleas from state and regional officials and wellness professionals to make their way to family members gatherings rather than keep dwelling, in spite of a spiraling infection price.
U.S. deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 2,000 in a single day on Tuesday for the 1st time due to the fact May, and hospitalizations reached a record of additional than 89,000 on Wednesday.
Biden, who defeated Trump in the Nov. 3 election, has been pushing ahead with the transition to his new administration, and has pledged to prioritize acquiring a grip on the virus. Earlier this week he announced important members of his foreign policy and national safety group and has promised to announce additional appointments, which includes his financial group, in coming days.
But he has drawn fire from members of his personal celebration, which includes Black lawmaker James Clyburn, the U.S. House of Representatives majority whip, who expressed disappointment on Wednesday that African Americans – a constituency vital to Biden’s victory – have so far not been offered additional prominent positions in the incoming administration, The Hill reported.
Despite possessing but to concede defeat, Trump has agreed to let Biden’s transition officially proceed, clearing the way, for instance, for the Democrat to acquire higher-level intelligence briefings. But the president continues to make unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, tweeting once more on Thursday that the election was “rigged”, when his legal group continues to pursue efforts to overturn the benefits, with small achievement.