#2024 candidates appeal to voters on Thanksgiving Day

The Iowa Caucuses begin in less than 60 days and the 2024 presidential hopefuls are wasting no time in appealing to voters. Thanksgiving Day is no exception.

In posts sprinkled across social media, candidates on both sides of the aisle shared their gratitude and advice.

From controversial favorite dinner items to family time to physically running for the presidency, here’s what they had to say.

Joe Biden

FILE – President Joe Biden speaks after pardoning the national Thanksgiving turkey, during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, Nov. 20, 2023.

President Biden and his family continued their tradition of spending the holiday on Nantucket, Mass. — an Island off Cape Cod.

Biden took time on Thursday to thank military service members and first responders.

“This Thanksgiving, Jill and I spoke with members of our Armed Forces to offer our sincere gratitude for the sacrifices they make every day to protect our freedom,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “They’re the best of us.”

The first family also spent time at the Nantucket Fire Department.

In a call to NBC’s Al Roker during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the president called on Americans to “come together” even amid political differences.

“On this Thanksgiving, Al, we have to come together,” the president said. “We can have different political views, but we have one view. The one view is that we’re the finest, greatest nation in the world. We should focus on that.”

“We should focus on dealing with our problems and being together and stop the rancor,” he added.

Donald Trump

Former President Trump wished his supporters a “Happy Thanksgiving” on Thursday, while also slamming his political opponents — including New York Attorney General Letitia James, the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial, President Biden and the “Radical Left Lunatics.”

“Happy Thanksgiving to ALL, including the Racist & Incompetent Attorney General of New York State, Letitia ‘Peekaboo’ James, who has let Murder & Violence Crime FLOURISH, & Businesses FLEE,” Trump wrote on Truth social.

He continued: “[and] the Radical Left Trump Hating Judge, a ‘Psycho,’ Arthur Engoron, who Criminally Defrauded the State of New York, & ME, by purposely Valuing my Assets at a ‘tiny’ Fraction of what they are really worth in order to convict me of Fraud before even a Trial, or seeing any PROOF, & used his Politically Biased & Corrupt Campaign Finance Violator, Chief Clerk Alison Greenfield, to sit by his side on the ‘Bench’ & tell him what to do.”

He also accused the president of weaponizing the Justice Department.

In a video message posted later, Trump expressed his gratitude for his family, service members and first responders. He also used his platform to allude to the 2024 election.

“This is a difficult time for our country, but do not lose heart or lose hope,” he said “Because, by the time we celebrate next Thanksgiving, our nation will be well on its way to being stronger, safer, more prosperous and greater than ever before.”

Nikki Haley

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley greets supporters after signing papers to get on the Republican presidential primary ballot at the New Hampshire Statehouse, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R), who has recently seen a rise in the polls, chose to focus on family in her message.

Haley’s husband, Maj. Michael Haley, was deployed in June as a staff officer with the 218^th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in the Horn of Africa. Her daughter, Rena, was also absent.

She said that while they are apart, they are “together in spirit.”

“We are missing part of our family today: Michael who is deployed overseas and Rena who is working at the hospital,” she wrote on X. “While on this Thanksgiving Day our family is not together in person, we are together in spirit.”

“Thankful for the blessings of faith, family, and country,” Haley added. “Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Such a reminder of how blessed we are to live in America.”

Ron DeSantis

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a meet and greet, Nov. 3, 2023, in Denison, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in his Thanksgiving Day message vowed to “turn this country around” if elected next November, noting the political divide that has emerged.

“As we get ready to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with our family this time, we see the problem with our country,” DeSantis said in a video posted on X. “We see that we’ve hit the skids in a lot of different ways, but we should be thankful to be Americans.”

“We should be thankful that we live in a country that was founded on principles of human freedom,” he added. “We are going to turn this country around and we’re going to get the job done.”

Vivek Ramaswamy

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the Pray Vote Stand Summit on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (R) reminded his supporters that he’s running for the White House by joining the annual Des Moines Turkey Trot in Iowa.

“Running for President in Iowa today. Literally,” Ramaswamy posted on X, with a video of him running alongside other racers and pushing a stroller.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” he added, saying the same to those who passed him on the trail.

In a separate video around the 5-mile marker, the 2024 hopeful joked about “taking the road less traveled.”

Chris Christie

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie holds a “Tell it Like It Is” town hall at the Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene, N.H., on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he spent his Thanksgiving with extended family and friends.

“We hope you have had a great celebration as well,” he posted on X. “We are thankful for the blessings of family, friends and the chance to live in the freest, bravest country the world has ever known.

Christie, one of Trump’s most vocal critics on the campaign trail, made sure to get another hit on the GOP frontrunner before the holiday weekend.

“Let’s make sure this Thanksgiving is the last one where we let @realDonaldTrump divide us at the dinner table,” he wrote Wednesday night.

“Your family and friends are more important than him,” he added, with a link to his campaign website.

Asa Hutchinson

Republican presidential candidate former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa’s 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) focused his message on food and the ongoing war in the Middle East.

“Yes, my favorite pie is Susan’s Apple pie,” he wrote Thursday on X. “Later I will be making Jalapeño Duck Poppers.”

A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas is expected to begin early Friday, allowing for the release of about 50 hostages taken captive by the Palestinian militant group during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

“This Thanksgiving my prayers are for the hostages held by Hamas. May they all be home for Hanukkah,” Hutchinson posted.

Doug Burgum

Republican presidential candidate North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa’s 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) on Thursday listed out all the things Americans have to be thankful for.

“Whether it’s the right to free speech, the right to assemble, or the right to vote, we’re blessed to live in a country that protects freedoms that are absent in so many other parts of the world,” Burgum posted on X, accompanied by a video. “Wishing all of you a gratitude-filled, exceptional Thanksgiving!”

The long-shot candidate also shared his controversial opinion: “I’m more of a sauce guy than a sides guy.”

He specifically highlighted two sauces that are part of his family’s recipe book: A mustard sauce and a raisin sauce.

“When we’ve got a North Dakota-grown sweet potato buried in butter, that’s pretty good,” he added. “I mean, the sweet potato is kind of a vehicle to get the butter into the system. That one of the things I’ll be looking forward to this weekend.”