Biden goes Christmas shopping as world waits for more hostages

President Biden did some afternoon Black Friday shopping on Nantucket as international news coverage was dominated by Hamas terrorists releasing a group of 24 hostages — but no Americans — as part of a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip.

“Can’t come without going to the bookstore. We’ve got a tradition,” the 81-year-old president told reporters on the Massachusetts island where he and his extended family are vacationing at the home of billionaire David Rubenstein.

Biden went bargain-hunting after briefing the nation for 10 minutes on the hostage crisis — admitting he was unsure when jihadists will release up to nine American citizens believed to have been taken hostage during the Oct.7 attacks on southern Israel.

“We don’t know when that will occur… It is my hope and expectation it will be soon,” Biden said before heading to a late lunch at the nearby Brotherhood of the Thieves restaurant.

Hamas has agreed to release an additional 26 hostages — a total of 50 out of about 240 — over the next three days, but it’s unclear who they will be.

Biden was trailed Friday by his scandal-plagued son Hunter, whose business dealings are at the center of a House Republican impeachment inquiry into his father.

Hunter, 53, also faces federal gun charges in Delaware and is expected to be indicted on tax charges in Los Angeles after walking away from a probation-only plea deal in July.

At one point, Biden ducked into a jewelry shop without first lady Jill Biden — as Hunter, his wife Melissa Cohen and their toddler Beau sat on a bench.

The first son then played photographer as his dad posed with a group of kids waiting outside the shop, according to a pool report.

It’s unclear what the president may have purchased from the jeweler.

At the bookstore, Biden bought the book “Democracy Awakening” by historian Heather Cox Richardson, who scored a rare interview with Biden last year in which she flattered him by calling him “a transformational president who is recovering the traditional idea of American democracy.”

The president did not speak to reporters while he hit up the shops, but the first lady did tell reporters that the family was “having a great time, thank you.”

The war in Gaza has repeatedly caused awkward optics for Biden — including when he carried on with a Halloween celebration on the White House lawn as children in Gaza, including several young relatives of former Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), died in Israel airstrikes or as a result of errant Hamas rockets.

The Biden family made the shopping trip before stopping by the island’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, where the president was heckled by anti-Israel protesters.

“Biden, Biden, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!” a group of about 10 activists chanted, forcing an alarmed emcee to scold them: “Excuse me, this is a community tree outing … This is not a political event.”

Biden, already the nation’s oldest-ever president, spent time with family as he prepares for an expected rematch against former President Donald Trump next year. He faces a primary challenge early next year from Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who has pointed to polls showing Biden would lose to Trump if the election were held today.

Meanwhile, special counsel David Weiss is reportedly presenting evidence to a federal grand jury in Los Angeles after Hunter Biden allegedly failed to pay $2 million due on foreign income. He’s also due to stand trial in 2024 on the gun counts — potentially making him the first member of the Biden family to be a convicted felon.

In July, the first son walked away from a probation-only plea deal for both gun and tax crimes in a dispute over his demand for immunity for other conduct, such as potential charges for illegal foreign lobbying and money laundering.

Hunter and first brother James Biden regularly involved Joe Biden in their foreign business relationships in countries such as China and Ukraine — in connection with which House Republicans are expected to introduce articles of impeachment early next year.