This Thanksgiving, as families, friends, and loved ones gather in gratitude, may we all celebrate the many blessings of our great nation.
Thanksgiving is at the heart of America’s spirit of gratitude – of finding light in times of both joy and struggle. The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in honor of a successful harvest made possible by the generosity and kindness of the Wampanoag people. On the way to Valley Forge, as General George Washington and his troops continued the fierce fight for our nation’s independence, they found a moment for Thanksgiving. And amid the struggle to preserve our Union during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, expressing gratitude for the courage of the American people who sacrifice so much for our country.
We are a good nation because we are a good people. The First Lady and I remain inspired by the everyday Americans who lift this country up and move us forward. Today, many belong to their families and friends, celebrating the love that binds them and creating new traditions that will last for generations. To everyone with an empty chair at the dinner table, grieving the loss of a loved one, the First Lady and I hold you in our hearts and prayers.
America is a nation of promise and possibility – and that’s because ordinary Americans do extraordinary things every day. Our service members and veterans have given everything, risked everything, and challenged everything to keep our nation free. Our first responders, firefighters and police officers risk their lives every day to keep the rest of us safe. I see the best of America in them and in our labor and union leaders, public servants and teachers, doctors and scientists, and everyone who gives their heart and soul to ensure that people are treated with dignity and respect. And I find hope in our nation’s families, who sacrifice so much to achieve the American Dream and build a future worthy of our highest aspirations.
This Thanksgiving – the last I will declare as President – ​​I express my gratitude to the American people. Being president has been the honor of my life. America is the greatest country on earth, and there is so much to be thankful for. May we celebrate all that unites us – for there is nothing beyond our power when we do it together.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim on Thursday, November 28, 2024, as National thanksgiving. I encourage the people of the United States of America to come together and give thanks for the friends, neighbors, family members and communities who have supported each other over the past year in reflection of goodwill and unity.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.