President Donald Trump pardoned a pair of turkeys at the White House on Tuesday, which is an ongoing tradition for whoever is commander-in-chief, in celebration of Thanksgiving this week. Normally, this wouldn’t be super big news, however, Trump seasoned the occasion with his trademark wit and humor, taking a crack at former President Joe Biden, claiming last year’s turkey pardons are “null and void” because he used autopen.
The two lucky turkeys who were pardoned this year, authentically, by a signature that came from the president’s own hand, were “Gobble” and “Waddle.” The crowd erupted into laughter as the president revealed that he rescued last year’s turkeys, “Peach” and “Blossom” in the nick of time, just before they were due to be carved up, following the nullification of Biden’s pardon.
The tradition of granting turkeys pardon before Thanksgiving began in the 1860s with President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s son, Tad, begged his father to spare a turkey, thus the tradition began, though informally. It carried on throughout our nation’s history, with other notable presidents, like John F. Kennedy, pardoning turkeys. However, the modern tradition was established by former President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
According to the White House Historical Association, President Bush cracked a joke saying, “But let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy—he’s presented a Presidential pardon as of right now—and allow him to live out his days on a children’s farm not far from here.”
“I wanted to make an important announcement. Because you remember last year, after a thorough and very rigorous investigation by [Attorney General] Pam Bondi and all of the people at the Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, and the White House Counsel’s Office…I have determined that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid,” President Trump said, according to Fox News.
“Null and void,” the president continued. “The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed, in other words, to be killed. But I’ve stopped that journey, and I am officially pardoning them. And they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time.”
Waddle and Gobble, the two pardoned turkeys, are the largest birds to receive the presidential pardon, both of them tipping the scales at over 50 pounds. Those are some big turkeys. A spokeswoman for the National Turkey Federation told members of the press at the White House that after receiving their presidential pardon, Gobble and Waddle will be moved to North Carolina State University, where they will become official “Turkey ambassadors for our industry.”
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The names, “Waddle” and “Gobble” came about as the result of a poll posted on X by First Lady Melania Trump. These two were the most popular, and honestly, they’re perfect names for a couple of turkeys. Peach and Blossom, along with 2023’s turkeys, “Liberty” and “Bell,” all hail from Minnesota.
Presidential turkeys — not sure that’s the official name, but let’s roll with it — have come from a variety of different states across the nation. Some come from North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota, while others have come from Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, and even a few from Ohio.