President Joe Biden, his wife Jill, their children and grandchildren return to Nantucket on Tuesday to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at the $34 million luxury estate owned by billionaire businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein.
Preparations for the arrival of the first family have already begun on the island. For a week now, large military cargo planes have been landing at the island’s airport, transporting the necessary equipment to secure the president’s stay.
On Monday, a fleet of Massachusetts State Police motorcycles and SUVs drove from the ferry onto the city’s main street to attend Biden’s visit. About 20 to 30 motorcycles drove off the boat, along with an ambulance and a dozen police cars.
Hundreds of people follow the president wherever he goes – Secret Service agents, support staff and military personnel. They will cordon off the area around Rubenstein’s 13,000-square-foot home while the Bidens are at the residence.
The first couple will be joined by most of their grandchildren: Naomi Biden and her husband Peter Neal, Finnegan, Maisy, Natalie, Little Hunter and baby Beau.
A fleet of Massachusetts State Police motorcycles arrived by ferry Monday in Nantucket, where the Biden clan will celebrate Thanksgiving again
The $34 million, 13-acre compound where the Bidens are spending Thanksgiving
An ambulance that is normally part of the presidential motorcade arrived from the ferry on Nantucket Island on Monday
Massachusetts State Police SUVs and motorcycles arrived by ferry Monday ahead of Biden’s Thanksgiving trip to Tony Island
Only baby Beau — and his parents Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen — joined the first family for Thanksgiving celebrations last year.
Last year, first daughter Ashley Biden also made her way to Nantucket.
This year the entire clan will be there to celebrate the holiday.
They will spend Wednesday celebrating President Biden’s 81st birthday, which is Monday, and mark the occasion with coconut cake.
On Thursday, they will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at the $34 million home and also call military members to thank them for their service.
The food is usually served at the Faregrounds Restaurant, where signed photos of Biden adorn the walls.
On Friday, the family usually goes into town for lunch, shopping and lighting the Christmas tree.
President Biden usually goes to church on Saturday. They return to Washington, DC on Sunday
President Joe Biden and his family will arrive on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts on Tuesday for Thanksgiving
Massachusetts State Police personnel arrive in Nantucket on Monday ahead of President Joe Biden’s arrival on the island on Tuesday to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday
David Rubenstein’s estate is located in Abrams Point, a part of the island named after one of the last surviving Native Americans of the Wampanoag people, Abram Quary
The president and first lady will spend Thanksgiving with six of seven of their grandchildren, including Maisy Biden (left) and baby Beau (right).
Baby Beau with a turkey at Monday’s turkey pardon ceremony at the White House
It is unclear whether the first family’s dog, Commander, will join them. He was present last year.
Jill and Ashley Biden were spotted walking with him on their property’s private beach on Thanksgiving Day.
But the dog was removed from the White House after it bit members of the Secret Service.
The Bidens have been traveling to Nantucket for 48 years, dating back to Biden’s term as a U.S. senator.
In his 2017 memoir “Promise Me Dad,” Biden wrote that Thanksgiving was the first holiday he and his now-wife Jill spent together in 1975, when they took his young sons Beau and Hunter to Nantucket for a holiday to spend a little time together.
Since then, they have rarely missed a vacation on Nantucket.
The island became a place of many memories for the family. Beau proposed to his future wife Hallie at the city’s 2001 Christmas tree lighting and married her in a downtown church.
While still serving as vice president, Biden and his grandchildren took part in the island’s Thanksgiving morning Cold Turkey Plunge, where islanders and visitors gather at Children’s Beach and jump into the water to raise money for the Weezie Library for Children at the Nantucket Atheneum to collect.
Jill and Ashley Biden walked with Commander on Thanksgiving last year
Ashley holds up her phone to take a selfie with the First Lady
The Bidens traditionally take part in the city’s Christmas tree lighting. Hunter Biden, Baby Beau, First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden are expecting the ceremony in 2022
One of the few Thanksgivings the Bidens missed on Nantucket was in 2015, which occurred about six months after Beau Biden’s death.
Instead, the family went to Rome. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they also decided not to participate in 2020.
“We had some great years and we had some lousy years during that span, but whatever happened, whatever bumps and bruises we suffered, we put it all aside and celebrated Thanksgiving on Nantucket,” the president wrote in his memoirs.
“The vacation was a constant in our grandchildren’s lives from the beginning and they made it clear how much it meant to them.”
During their stay on the island, the Bidens will stay at Rubenstein’s $34 million, 13-acre estate on Nantucket Harbor.
Biden has stayed with Rubenstein on Nantucket before, including in 2014, when he was vice president.
Exclusive images from show a sprawling property on the island’s secluded inner harbor with stunning water views as the sun sets in the background.
Rubenstein bought the waterfront property in 2000 for his now ex-wife, Alice, and their three children. He tore down the existing house and built a 13,000-square-foot home with a tennis court, swimming pool, hot tub and private dock.
Zillow estimates rent would cost $30,000 per month.
The home is located on historic Abrams Point on Polpis Road – named after one of the last surviving Native Americans of the Wampanoag people, Abram Quary.