President Obama has called for unity in his final Thanksgiving message.
He called for the American people to come together after a 'noisy, passionate and sometimes divisive campaign season'.
'No matter our differences, we are still one people. We are part of something bigger than ourselves,' he added.
Obama kicked off the speech by wishing Americans a Happy Thanksgiving with a day full of 'turkeys and touchdowns'.
He then made an impassioned plea in the wake of the election.
'Elections are often where we emphasize what sets us apart. We face off in a contest of "us" versus "them."
'We focus on the candidate we support instead of some of the ideals we share.
'But a few short weeks later, Thanksgiving reminds us that no matter our differences, we are still one people, part of something bigger than ourselves.'
He also hinted at racial tensions in recent weeks.
'Never doubt, that is what makes us American - not where we come from, what we look like, or what faith we practice, but the ideals to which we pledge our allegiance.
'It's about our capacity to live up to the creed as old as our founding: "E Pluribus Unum" - that out of many, we are one,' he said.
The First Family rang in the holiday early with residents at the Armed Services Retirement Home in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Obama seemed to still be in the comedic mood he displayed earlier that day, cracking jokes with the veterans and putting smiles on their faces as he dished out turkey and ladled gravy on to their plates.
He was also joined by wife Michelle and daughter Sasha, although Malia appeared to skip the family's traditional Thanksgiving service project.
Last year both daughters were on hand to help Obama and Michelle serve dinner at the Friendship Place homeless center in Washington DC.
On Wednesday Obama and Michelle were also joined by the First Lady's brother, ESPN analyst Craig Robinson, and his two sons Austin and Aaron.
The boys, aged six and four, got their first taste of the spotlight just that morning at the annual turkey pardoning, when Obama joked that his daughters had skipped the ceremony because they 'couldn't take my jokes anymore'.
Malia and Sasha actually had a 'scheduling conflict', according to their dad, but the president was more than happy to introduce his nephews - who he joked had 'not yet been turned cynical by Washington'.
'They still believe in bad puns, they still appreciate the grandeur of this occasion, they still have hope,' he joked.
President-elect Trump said on Thursday he was spending part of his Thanksgiving holiday trying to convince an Indiana air conditioner maker to stay in the United States - reflecting his election campaign pledge to stop the flow of jobs abroad.
He also pardoned his last turkey at the White House - called Tater
Trump, who is also weighing decisions on his Cabinet during a family retreat at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Florida, said on Twitter that he was "working hard, even on Thanksgiving, trying to get Carrier A.C. Company to stay in the U.S. (Indiana). MAKING PROGRESS - Will know soon!"
Carrier Corp, a division of United Technologies Corp , responded on Twitter that the company has had "discussions with the incoming administration" but had "nothing to announce at this time." A representative for the company had no additional comment.
Earlier this year, the company said it would move 1,400 jobs to Mexico from Indiana, giving a three-year timetable for the shift.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, he released a new message to Americans asking that the country 'begin to heal our divisions'.
In the new video released on Wednesday, Trump called on the nation to become unified once more amid weeks of protests and petitions to the Electoral College.
'We are very blessed to call this nation our home, and that’s what America is – it is our home,' Trump began in the clip, which was posted on YouTube.
'It’s where we raise our families, care for our loved ones, look out for our neighbors, and live out our dreams,' he continued.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, president-elect Donald Trump released a new message to Americans asking that the country 'begin to heal our divisions'.
Cc;Daily mail
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