Obama took his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha on a late morning bike ride yesterday through the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest in West Tisbury.
The president made the comment during a brief portion of the ride that the White House allowed the news media to see.
In the evening, the family went to Oak Bluffs for dinner at senior adviser Valerie Jarrett's rental home overlooking Nantucket Sound.
The White House says Obama was briefed earlier in the day on the violence in Egypt by national security adviser Susan Rice, who is travelling with the president.