'Same thing, it's just bigger.' Is President Biden expected on Nantucket for Thanksgiving?

President Joe Biden will once again be spending Thanksgiving on Nantucket, continuing his four-decade-long tradition that has seen him evolve through elected positions in public life.

There is no official word from the White House.

But Nantucket Memorial Airport public information officer Cameron Woods said the Air Traffic Management System Operations Security team issued a temporary flight restriction Friday, indicating Biden and his family will likely arrive within the week.

A temporary flight restriction, Woods said, dictates who can fly and where they can fly in the specified area. She said the airport has received flights of supplies over recent days — with the expectation of more to come.

“The airport is really taking all direction and guidance right now from the White House," Woods said. Airport managers are cooperating completely with any and all necessary safety protocols that are advised, she said. “Beyond that, we’re just really excited to have President Biden come again.”

Nantucket police on Biden visit: 'Same thing, it's just bigger'

Nantucket Police Lt. Angus MacVicar said Friday they’ve treated the Biden family visits differently over the years, tailoring their services depending on his elected position. But MacVicar said the police department mainly acts in a supporting role for the Secret Service.

“For eight years, we did just the same thing, as he was the vice president,” MacVicar said. “Obviously, the group of Secret Service and support personnel has grown substantially now that he's the president. But it's basically the same thing, it's just bigger.”

The police department recognizes supporting presidential security is unique. With a history of high-profile guests and residents they are well prepared for the President’s visit, MacVicar said

“For the community, it's really neat to see the vice president, and now the president, walking freely, if you will, up and down the streets of Nantucket,” he said. “People in our community certainly appreciate that and recognize that.”

A tradition of visiting Nantucket on Thanksgiving

The Biden family has a tradition of spending Thanksgiving on Nantucket — nearly every Thanksgiving there for the last 40 years, except for 2015 after the death of Beau Biden, President Biden's son, and in 2020 when Biden stayed at his Delaware home because of the pandemic.

U. S. presidents have always had an affinity for the Cape and Islands. President John F. Kennedy and the Kennedy family are long-associated with Hyannisport. President Barack Obama spent summer vacations on Martha's Vineyard and subsequently purchased a home in Edgartown. President Bill Clinton also vacationed on the Vineyard while he was in office.

In 2021, Biden was the first sitting president to spend a night on Nantucket since Ulysses S. Grant, according to the Inquirer and Mirror. Grant visited in the summer of 1874, but Biden seems to prefer the high peak of autumn.

Being elected as vice president, then president has changed Joe Biden's travel habits

The Biden family is known for taking a ferry to Nantucket.

Back in 2008 and fresh off a historic election, though, Biden's security kept him separated from other passengers in a small section on the ferry's upper deck. Four years later, in 2012, hot off another brutal yet successful election campaign, Biden ditched the surf and sand altogether — opting instead for Air Force Two, a modified Boeing 757, to get to Nantucket.

After touching down on the tarmac of Nantucket Memorial Airport, a motorcade of government vehicles whisked the Biden family away.

However they arrive, though, the Bidens always manage to have a good time.

Strolling through town

The Biden family enjoys mingling with the community along the cobblestone Main Street, and ordering a holiday feast from Faregrounds Restaurant. In 2012, the now-sitting president took a cold water plunge at Children’s Beach during the annual fundraiser for the Nantucket Atheneum.

“It's really wonderful that he is down to earth enough that he shakes hands, says hello to loads of different children (and) lets people take pictures with him,” said Nantucket Select Board Chair Dawn Holdgate on Friday.

The Bidens also enjoy going to church at St. Mary’s and the Main Street Christmas tree lighting the day after Thanksgiving, Holdgate said.

“Many people at that level are a little standoffish,” Holdgate said. “The Bidens haven’t shied away from going to the public places they’ve always gone to.”

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Biden strolls, shakes hands, allows photos on Nantucket, official says