President Joe Biden, 82, joked about his age — and about being “fired” — as he served Brussels sprouts at a Coast Guard “Friendsgiving” on Staten Island on Monday evening.
President and first lady Jill Biden attended the event as part of the first lady’s Joining Forces initiative.
Biden handed out Thanksgiving food for nearly 50 minutes before making an announcement.
“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 had opened the event by suggesting he was still around beyond his 82 years – having celebrated his birthday last week.
“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.
Neither the president nor the first lady were shocked when small children punctuated their remarks with screams and shouts.
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 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
‘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
He then started talking about being fired, before explaining the real reason he had to go.
‘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.
Biden could technically run for re-election, but that is extremely unlikely as age considerations have pushed him out.