President Joe Biden joked about his age — and being “fired” — as he served Brussels sprouts at a Coast Guard “Friendsgiving” on Staten Island on Monday night.
Biden handed out Thanksgiving food for nearly 50 minutes before making an announcement. At 82 years old, he is the oldest president in American history.
“I just got told I’m fired,” said Biden — who was pressured by his own party to drop his reelection bid in July after a disastrous debate in late June heightened concerns about old age.
He went on to say that he had been fired for handing out dinner portions and that it was time for him to return to the White House.
He also made a strange joke that he had to go because he had held up traffic and no one would ever vote for him again. It is unclear what he meant, as he has indicated that he is retiring from public life and has no intention of ever running for public office again.
‘They have agreed on a time for how long we will be somewhere. And what they do is close all the roads, no matter what the Secret Service does,” the president explained.
“And if you want to lose all support for your Coast Guard and no one will ever vote for me again, I better get out of here,” the lame duck president added.
The president and Jill Biden served a Friendsgiving dinner for Coast Guard members and their families as part of the first lady’s Joining Forces initiative.
Biden opened the event by suggesting he was around longer than his 82 years.
“I wasn’t going to say this, but I thought about this as I was coming up. I was a pretty good football player in high school… but my quarterback was totally fine too. He came along and ended up becoming a quarterback for the Coast Guard Academy,” Biden said.
“In 1912,” he added, drawing laughter from the crowd.
President Joe Biden, 82, joked about his age — and being “fired” — as he served Brussels sprouts at a Coast Guard “Friendsgiving” on Staten Island on Monday evening
President Biden makes a face at a child while serving dinner
President Joe Biden spoons some Brussels sprouts onto a Thanksgiving plate during a “Friendsgiving” celebration Monday evening at Coast Guard Sector New York on Staten Island
The Bidens made it an annual tradition to spend Thanksgiving Monday evening with members of the U.S. armed forces.
The couple traveled to New York on Monday evening for the final time as first lady. Neither Biden was upset when small children interrupted their remarks with screams and shouts.
‘Children scream, scream and cry. We are Bidens. We are used to it,” the president said.
Biden also warned parents that he would come to their table to talk to them and their children, noting that he loves babies most.
“As everyone knows, I love children more than people,” he said.
Unlike Halloween, however, Biden did not nibble on babies.
Instead, he was caught sneaking some sandwiches while serving military families their Thanksgiving dinner.
He also posed for some selfies.
English celebrity chef Robert Irvine designed and cooked the menu, including the president’s favorite ice cream dessert.
After his formal remarks, Biden again greeted the audience with a “hello, hello, hello.”
President Joe Biden takes a selfie while working a food line during a ‘Friendsgiving’ dinner for Coast Guard families on Staten Island Monday evening
“As everyone knows, I love children more than people,” President Joe Biden told the crowd before handing out Brussels sprouts at a Friendsgiving celebration
President Biden was responsible for handing out Brussels sprouts
The Bidens returned to the White House on Monday evening.
The first family will spend Thanksgiving on Nantucket, an island off the coast of Massachusetts.
It is their long tradition and they are expected to be accompanied by their family.
The Bidens leave on Tuesday and return on Saturday. President Biden leaves on Sunday for a trip to Angola.
Earlier Monday, Biden pardoned two turkeys — Peach and Blossom — in his final turkey pardons as president.
The Commander-in-Chief filled his speech with cringe-inducing one-liners about “fowl play” that were interrupted at one point by Peach’s growl.
‘Yes, I hear you. Peach just wants to say something,” Biden responded.
“They tell me there are 2,500 people here… looking for pardon!” Biden joked as he addressed the crowd on the South Lawn.
“Keep calm and carry on,” he added, before switching to a more serious tone to reflect on the “honor of a lifetime” as president.
The lame duck President Joe Biden on Monday granted Thanksgiving pardons to Blossom and Peach turkeys to save them from an American family celebration
Beau Biden examines one of the turkeys
The topic of pardons is an ongoing one in the White House, with Hunter Biden set to be convicted of tax crimes in the coming months.
The president has repeatedly said he will not pardon or commute his son’s sentence.
But Biden does have the power to grant reprieve to anyone he wants, including his son, the people worried about Donald Trump’s retaliation, and even turkeys.
“I hereby forgive Peach and Blossom!” he declared. As he granted the pardon, Hunter’s son Baby Beau watched from the sidelines.
Blossom and Peach weigh 40 and 41 pounds respectively and were raised on a farm in Northfield, Minnesota.
They were raised by John Zimmerman, president of the National Turkey Federation, and his 9-year-old son Grant.
After being pardoned, the turkeys will return to Farmamerica, an agricultural interpretation center in Waseca, Minnesota.