President Donald Trump upheld the White House tradition of pardoning turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving, sparing two birds named Gobble and Waddle during a ceremony that blended humor with political jabs.
Addressing one of the turkeys, Trump said, “Gobble, you are hereby unconditionally pardoned,” as the bird responded with its characteristic gobbles. Both turkeys, from North Carolina, had been staying at The Willard Intercontinental Hotel before their appearance at the White House. The annual event spares select turkeys from becoming part of the traditional Thanksgiving feast.
While the practice dates back to Abraham Lincoln in 1863, it became a formalized “presidential pardon” for turkeys under George H.W. Bush in 1989.
During the ceremony, Trump criticized his predecessor Joe Biden’s turkey pardons, claiming they were invalid due to an autopen, and announced that previously pardoned turkeys Peach and Blossom had been rescued from slaughter. “I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined that last year’s Turkey pardons are totally invalid,” he said.
In a lighthearted moment, he joked about naming Gobble and Waddle after Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi but said he would never pardon them.
During the ceremony, President Trump once again called for federal intervention in Chicago, claiming he could improve safety in the city within four to ten weeks if Governor J.B. Pritzker allowed deployment of National Guard troops.
The annual turkey pardon tradition dates back decades, with President Harry S. Truman receiving a turkey in 1947, and John F. Kennedy granting the first formal clemency to a turkey in 1963. It was officially termed a “presidential pardon” during George H W Bush’s administration in 1989, cementing the custom in modern times.
The event, attended by Trump’s cabinet members and their families, combined humor with political commentary. After the ceremony, Gobble and Waddle will return to North Carolina, spared from becoming part of the Thanksgiving feast. The pardoning tradition remains a popular and entertaining part of the holiday, celebrated in several states across the US.
