On Monday, retiring President Biden playfully grabbed a Hawaiian roll from a military buffet line as Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” played at a Coast Guard facility on Staten Island before jokingly reclaiming a microphone and proclaiming he’s “been fired.”
Biden, 82, shared a mischievous glance with fellow servers as he took the roll, sneaking bites before preparing to serve vegetables to service members and their families at the Coast Guard Sector New York.
After serving Coasties for about 50 minutes, Biden unexpectedly addressed the crowd.
“Hello, hello, hello!” said the commander-in-chief.
“I’ve just been told I’ve been fired,” said Biden, who fellow Democrats forced to drop his re-election campaign in July over concern about his mental acuity following a disastrous debate performance against then-former President Donald Trump in late June.
Biden then appeared to speak as though he might seek elected office again.
“They set a time for how long we’re going to be somewhere. And then what they do is they close all the roads, the Secret Service does,” Biden 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 the hell out of here.”
Earlier in the day, the lame-duck president participated in another pre-Thanksgiving tradition by pardoning two turkeys on the White House lawn.
While helping serve the “Friendsgiving” meal to the Coasties and their families, Biden shared that he could relate to the military branch, mentioning that he had attended high school with a future quarterback for the Coast Guard Academy.
“My quarterback was all-state as well. He came along and he ended up being a quarterback for the Coast Guard Academy — in 1912!” Biden said without providing the name of the player, the New York Post reported.
Since President-elect Donald Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory, Biden has grown detached from political debate, offering only brief, one-word answers to journalists’ questions over the past 20 days. This comes despite his warnings that American democracy could be at risk if Trump regains power.
On Tuesday, Biden will travel with his extended family to Nantucket Island for Thanksgiving, where he has spent the past three holiday seasons at the compound of billionaire businessman David Rubenstein, The Post added.
The White House announced this week that Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, will attend Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Before the election, Biden stated that he would be present, regardless of the outcome. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates confirmed on Monday while he was aboard Air Force One that Biden and Jill Biden will also attend the event.
“The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whomever won the election,” Bates said. “He and the first lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration. He views that as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values, and to honoring the will of the people, as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition.”
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients has had many meetings with Susie Wiles, who will soon take over as Chief of Staff of the White House.