Biden escapes D.C. for Thanksgiving: President lands on Nantucket for stay at billionaire friend's $34M compound with Jill and family - giving him a break from the dire polls raising constant questions about his 2024 run

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived on Nantucket Tuesday night for their Thanksgiving break, where they'll mark the holiday and celebrate the president's 81st birthday with family.

Six of their seven grandchildren are expected to join them on the island, where they'll take over billionaire businessman turned philanthropist David Rubenstein's $34 million waterfront compound for a third year in a row. 

The White House officially confirmed that 'friend' Rubenstein was putting them up for the long holiday weekend as Air Force One touched down. 

The retreat will give Biden a break from poll after poll spelling bad news about his chances to win reelection next year.  

Preparations on the island have been underway for the Biden family's arrival for days. 

Large military cargo planes have been touching down at the island's airport for the past week, carrying the equipment necessary to secure the president for his stay. 

On Monday, a fleet of Massachusetts state police motorcycles and SUVs drove off the ferry and onto the town's main drag to be on hand for Biden's visit. About 20 to 30 motorcycles drove off the boat, along with an ambulance and a dozen cop cars. 

Hundreds of people follow the president wherever he goes - Secret Service agents, support staff, and members of the military. 

They'll lock down the area around Rubenstein's 13,000 square foot home while the Bidens are at the residence. 

The first couple will be joined by the majority of their grandchildren: Naomi Biden and her husband Peter Neal, Finnegan, Maisy, Natalie, Little Hunter and Baby Beau.

Only Baby Beau - and his parents Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen - joined the first family at last year's Thanksgiving festivities. 

First daughter Ashley Biden also made the trek to Nantucket last year. 

This year the entire clan will be on hand to celebrate the holiday.

They'll spend Wednesday celebrating President Biden's 81st birthday, which is on Monday, marking the occasion with coconut cake. 

Thursday they'll enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at the $34 million home and they'll also call military families to thank them for their service.

The meal is typically catered from the Faregrounds Restaurant, where signed photos of Biden adorn the walls. 

On Friday, the family usually goes into town for lunch, shopping and the lighting of the Christmas Tree. 

On Saturday, President Biden typically goes to church. On Sunday they'll return to Washington, D.C.

It's unclear if the first family's dog, Commander, will be joining them. He was present last year. 

Jill and Ashley Biden were spotted walking him on their compound's private beach on Thanksgiving day. 

But the dog was removed from the White House after biting members of the Secret Service.  

The Bidens have been going to Nantucket for 48 years, dating back to when Biden was a U.S. senator. 

In his 2017 memoir 'Promise me Dad,' Biden wrote that Thanksgiving in 1975 was the first holiday he and his now-wife Jill spent together, going to Nantucket with his young sons Beau and Hunter for a little bonding time.

They rarely have missed a holiday on Nantucket since. 

The island became a spot of many memories for the family. Beau proposed to his future wife Hallie at the town's 2001 Christmas tree lighting and married her at a downtown church. 

As recently as during his vice presidential tenure, Biden and his grandkids took part in the island's Thanksgiving morning Cold Turkey Plunge, in which islanders and visitors gather at Children's Beach and jump into the water to raise money for Nantucket Atheneum's Weezie Library for Children.  

One of the few Thanksgivings the Bidens missed in Nantucket was in 2015, which took place about six months after Beau Biden died. 

The family went to Rome instead. They also skipped going in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

'We had some great years in that span, and we had some lousy years, but whatever was happening, whatever bumps and bruises we were suffering, we put it all aside and celebrated Thanksgiving in Nantucket,' the president wrote in his memoir. 

'The holiday trip was a constant in our grandchildren's lives from the time they were aware, and they made it clear how much it meant to them.'

While on the island, the Bidens are staying at Rubenstein's $34 million 13-acre compound on Nantucket Harbor. 

Biden has previously stayed at Rubenstein's place on Nantucket, including in 2014 when he was vice president. 

Exclusives pictures from DailyMail.com show a sprawling property that sits on the island's secluded inner harbor with gorgeous views of the water as the sun sets in the background. 

Rubenstein bought the waterfront property in 2000 for his now ex-wife Alice and their three children. He tore down the existing house and put up a 13,000-square-foot home which features a tennis court, swimming pool, hot tub and private dock.

Zillow estimates it would cost $30,000 a month to rent. 

The house is located on historic Abrams Point off of Polpis Road - named after one of the last surviving Native Americans of the Wampanoag people, Abram Quary.