Topline
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden landed late Tuesday in Nantucket, where they’ll reportedly spend the Thanksgiving holiday at private equity billionaire David Rubenstein’s compound—a reprieve from Washington amid a politically volatile time for the president as lagging poll numbers coincide with disapproval of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and the president’s daughter, Ashley Biden, leave … [+]
Key Facts
The Bidens will stay at Rubenstein’s 14-acre estate at Abrams Point, the Nantucket Current reported, continuing a more than 40-year tradition of spending the holiday on the island, where Biden is expected to visit the downtown area Friday and attend a Christmas tree lighting ceremony later in the afternoon.
Rubenstein, who co-founded the Carlyle Group in 1987, is estimated by Forbes to be worth $3.5 billion.
He has lent his home to the president and his family for Thanksgiving since at least 2021 and has been described as a personal friend of the Bidens.
Surprising Fact
Rubenstein served as an adviser to former President Jimmy Carter and is chairman of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is not a major political donor, however, according to Open Secrets, which reports his last political donation was a $6,000 contribution to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2007.
Key Background
The trip comes hours after the U.S., Qatar, Israel and Hamas announced they had successfully brokered a deal to release 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting. Israel will also release about 150 jailed Palestinians. Biden has seen his standing in polls slide over the past month as a plurality of Americans disapprove of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, according to an Emerson survey released Wednesday that found 37% of respondents said he is doing a “poor” job handling the war. The survey is one of several in recent weeks that show him losing in a hypothetical 2024 general election matchup with former President Donald Trump, who had support of 47% of respondents, according to Emerson, compared to 43% for Biden, a two point decrease from last month. Biden’s age (he turned 81 on Monday) is also a persistent concern for voters.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/11/22/bidens-thanksgiving-tradition-includes-dinner-at-this-billionaires-nantucket-estate/