Biden's Thanksgiving message: Come together and "stop the rancor"

• "We have to bring the nation together and treat each other with a little bit of decency, and I think that's where the vast majority of the American people are," he added.
• First lady Jill Biden added that "it's important that we all commit to an act of kindness today, so call someone and wish them a happy Thanksgiving or do something kind."

State of play: The Bidens spent the holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts, at the home of billionaire David Rubenstein, and briefly visited the Nantucket Fire Department with gifts.

• According to Biden's public schedule, the president and first lady made calls to different branches of the military earlier in the day.

• Biden, who celebrated his 81st birthday this week, also participated in a "polar bear plunge" with some of his family. Naomi Biden shared a photo of the group on X afterward.

Zoom out: Political polarization is worsening and the Israel-Hamas war has left the U.S. starkly divided, as deep divisions over the conflict roils American society.

Go deeper: On Thanksgiving, most Americans want to avoid politics