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Video shows Joe Biden serving military families Thanksgiving dinner, but some vets spot something 'not right'

Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attended Thanksgiving dinner with military families on Sunday at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA: President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden celebrated the week leading up to Thanksgiving Day by participating in a gathering for friends known as 'Friendsgiving'.

The event took place on Sunday, November 19, 2023, at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, where the Bidens served Thanksgiving dinners to military personnel and their families.

The hangar was decorated with flags to mark the occasion and during the event, Biden served up mashed potatoes, while Jill Biden spooned out sweet potato casserole. They were joined by chef Robert Irvine, whose foundation helped organize the meal.

The menu featured slow-roasted bourbon-brined turkey, maple-mustard glazed spiral-cut smoked ham, brioche-cornbread stuffing, candied walnuts, roasted garlic and creme fraiche, and a toasted espresso mascarpone Chantilly cream.

The diners, which included many children, passed through the buffet line as the Bidens chatted with them.

The Friendsgiving event was attended by service members and military families associated with the Dwight D Eisenhower and the Gerald R Ford aircraft carriers.

Both vessels are currently deployed in the eastern Mediterranean in response to tensions from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

What did President Biden say during his visit to Norfolk?

The Bidens attended a screening of the new musical fantasy film 'Wonka' with service members and their families during a Joining Forces Initiative event at Norfolk Naval Station.

The event was co-hosted by the United Service Organizations (USO) and the Robert Irvine Foundation.

Norfolk Naval Station is the world's largest installation of its kind.

During the event, President Biden also paid tribute to former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away on Sunday, and to President Jimmy Carter, describing them as a couple of grace and integrity.

Jill Biden asked the diners to include the Carter family in their prayers during the holiday season and praised Rosalynn Carter for her efforts on mental health, caregiving, and women's rights.

President Biden also addressed the service members and their families, thanking them for their service and describing them as the backbone and spine of the nation.

“You literally are the backbone, the spine, the spine of this nation,” Biden said. “Only 1% of you, that’s all, that protects the 99% of us.”

He expressed his gratitude to the family members and said that they were the heart of the operation.

“I mean from the bottom of my heart,” the president said. “Family members, you are the heart of this operation.”

The president and the first lady introduced the new film, which focuses on the early life of Willy Wonka, the fictional eccentric chocolatier created by Roald Dahl. The film is set to be released on December 15, 2023.

The event took place in a concrete-floored hangar that included three display Blackhawk helicopters, a towering American flag, and a screen with the image of the White House.

Around 400 service members and their relatives were in attendance, seated in folding chairs and around wooden, circular tables.

As he prepared to celebrate with the troops at home, the president was asked about the war between Israel and Hamas and the fate of hostages being held by the militants in Gaza.

Biden replied, "I'm not in a position to tell you that" and added, "I want to make sure they're out and then I'll tell you."

Celebrating ‘Friendsgiving’ with the military has become a tradition for the Bidens.

Last year, they served mashed potatoes and other sides as part of the buffet-style meal in Cherry Point, North Carolina.

The event was attended by over 9,000 military personnel and roughly 8,000 military family members.

The Bidens also visited the Army’s Fort Bragg in North Carolina for an early Thanksgiving meal in a hangar.

The meal was attended by around 250 service members and their families. As a special treat, troops received chocolate chip cookies with the presidential seal.

Towards the end of the Norfolk event, the attendees surprised Biden with a birthday cake, as he turned 81 on Monday, November 20, 2023.

After conducting the traditional pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey on Monday, Biden will travel to the Atlantic Island of Nantucket to spend Thursday on a holiday with his family.

As for Biden's 2024 Republican rival, Donald Trump, he was scheduled for a military visit in Texas on Sunday.

The former president, who currently holds a commanding lead in the 2024 GOP primary, was in Edinburg serving meals to National Guard soldiers, troopers, and others who will be stationed at the US-Mexico border over Thanksgiving.

Trump is promoting hard-line immigration proposals that he believes will be more effective in securing the border.

He and top Republicans have long criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to crack down on people entering the United States illegally.

Video from the Norfolk event raises suspicion as some say something is 'not right'

Americans on X are adept at pointing out minor discrepancies and making a huge deal out of it, as a video of service members and their families attending the Norfolk event with the Bidens has come under scrutiny on the platform.

One X user said, "Since when is facial hair allowed? And when did the Marine Corps add unit Velcro sleeves to their uniforms? Unless another branch is using USMC pattern on BDU’s. Corpsmen can wear Marine pattern. Idk something seems off."

Another user clarified: "Unfortunately there have been many changes to the current iteration of the military and it is very easy to get a medical profile that allows facial hair. As for the velcro patches, they probably copied the army. It’s a woke and gentler military today. Just ask anyone still in."

Another X user stated, "To be fair, EVERYTHING seems to be "off" under this regime. Things weren't perfect under Trump, but SWEET CRACKER SANDWICH, they were never this awful..."

One user tweeted, "45 does it better."

Another user wrote, "They had to after Trump was seen in Texas already doing it!"

Another X user remarked, "Is Biden getting them ready for the next war he's going to get America involved in?"

One X user quipped, "Is he serving them their last meal before getting killed in the next war?"

And finally, this X user wrote, "Is before they’re sent off to the Middle East to fight someone else’s battle??"