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U.S. President Donald Trump presided over the traditional Thanksgiving “turkey pardon ceremony” at the White House on Monday, a long-standing American tradition that grants two birds clemency just days before the holiday feast. This year’s stars, Gobble and Waddle, were hatched in North Carolina in July and weighed 52 and 50 pounds respectively.
Trump, in his usual theatrical style, declared their “complete, absolute, and unconditional presidential pardon” before a crowd of schoolchildren, reporters, turkey industry representatives and White House staff.
The event, though light-hearted, quickly turned political — a hallmark of Trump’s public appearances.
Traditionally, the turkey pardon is a humorous, apolitical moment. But Trump, as in previous years, used the ceremony to fire shots at his political rivals, including:
While introducing Gobble and Waddle, Trump joked that he initially wanted to name the birds “Chuck” and “Nancy” — a reference to Schumer and Pelosi — before adding:
“But then I realized I would never pardon them.”
He mocked Pelosi’s retirement earlier this month, labeling her “an evil woman” and saying her departure from politics was “a good day for America.”
Trump also dismissed last year’s turkey pardons carried out by President Biden as “invalid,” alleging that Biden used an autopen — an automatic signature machine — to authorize the pardon for turkeys Peach and Blossom.
The claim plays into long-standing conservative criticism suggesting Biden was too elderly or unwell to perform basic presidential duties during his time in office. In Trump’s new presidential décor, Biden’s official portrait is replaced with a drawing of an autopen — a symbolic jab repeated at the ceremony.
Trump revisited his political clashes with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, two Democrats he battled over National Guard deployment during previous civil unrest.
Referring to Johnson as “incompetent” and Pritzker as “a big, fat lazybones,” Trump added humor at his own expense:
“I also want to lose a few pounds… but not this week. I’ll be eating turkey on Thanksgiving.”
After receiving their pardons, Gobble and Waddle will be transported to a sanctuary farm where they’ll live out their natural lives as educational “ambassadors” for the U.S. turkey industry — a standard practice for every pardoned bird since the tradition formalized in the late 20th century.
The ritual’s origin dates back to the 1940s, though its roots stretch deeper into American history.
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