Local News

President Biden arrived on Nantucket last night for Thanksgiving

Air Force One touched down just after 8 p.m. Tuesday.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden step off Air Force One as they arrive in Nantucket on Tuesday night. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

By Kristi Palma

November 22, 2023

1 minute to read

President Joe Biden will spend Thanksgiving on Nantucket, a more than 40-year tradition, after arriving on the island Tuesday night.

Nantucket residents again rejected a proposal to limit short-term rentals

Air Force One touched down just after 8 p.m., according to the Nantucket Current.

The Bidens have been spending Thanksgiving on Nantucket since before they married in 1977, according to the Associated Press. The family is staying at the $34 million luxury waterfront home owned by billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group private equity firm.

Biden will apparently attend downtown Nantucket’s tree lighting ceremony on Friday, as Nantucket police posted a notice on Wednesday morning that included U.S. Secret Service security restrictions. The Bidens attended the tree lighting last year.

Last year, the president and first lady Jill Biden and their daughter Ashley, as well as Biden’s son Hunter, his wife Melissa, and their young son Beau went shopping on Main Street in downtown Nantucket.

President Joe Biden shops with first lady Jill Biden and their daughter Ashley Biden in Nantucket, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. *Susan Walsh / AP* *– AP Photo/Susan Walsh*

The first family also delivered pies to Massachusetts firefighters last year.

In preparation for the president’s visit this week, “a huge contingent” of Massachusetts State Police Troopers arrived on the island via ferry on Monday, according to the Nantucket Current.

Kristi Palma

Travel writer

Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.