President Trump Continues White House Turkey Pardon Tradition
In a ceremony filled with political humour and tradition, Donald Trump has granted presidential pardons to two Thanksgiving turkeys named Gobble and Waddle. This event continues a 160-year tradition observed by American presidents, though it only became an official executive task in 1989.
The president entertained the assembled audience, which included top cabinet officials like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, with several jokes aimed at his political opponents. Trump revealed he had considered naming the turkeys 'Chuck and Nancy' after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but decided against it, quipping that he would never pardon his Democratic foes.
Political Humour and Ceremony Highlights
Trump sparked laughter among attendees when he claimed that last year's turkey pardons were invalid because they were conducted using Joe Biden's autopen. The president also took aim at Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, stating he would refrain from calling him a 'fat slob' before self-deprecatingly admitting, "I'd like to lose a few pounds too!"
The ceremony provided Trump with an opportunity to outline what he described as achievements of his second term, including tough on crime policies and a crackdown on illegal immigration.
First Lady Melania Trump attended the event wearing a leather aviator-style bomber jacket, black turtle neck and brown herringbone skirt. Earlier in the day, Karoline Leavitt and her one-year-old son Nicholas met Waddle in the White House press briefing room before the main ceremony.
Turkey Details and Future Retirement
Gobble was officially named the National Thanksgiving Turkey and received the presidential pardon during the ceremony with Trump, while his alternate Waddle also received a pardon as tradition dictates. Both turkeys are males raised by National Turkey Federation chairman Ronnie Parker on his farm in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
The birds weigh over 50 pounds each, with Gobble at 52 pounds and Waddle at 50 pounds. Following their presidential reprieve, both turkeys will retire to the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. There they will receive housing and veterinary care for the remainder of their lives.
The tradition of sparing Thanksgiving turkeys has roots dating back to Abraham Lincoln's presidency, but it wasn't until 1989 that George H. W. Bush formally established the presidential pardon for the National Thanksgiving Turkey as an official executive tradition.
