President Donald Trump once again upheld the time-honored tradition of pardoning turkeys for Thanksgiving by granting clemency to Gobble and Waddle, two North Carolina birds that were presented at the White House. This annual event, which has taken place at the executive mansion for over 35 years, is rooted in the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation that originated in the 1940s. The tradition began when the National Turkey Federation would send a live turkey to the president, who would then either pardon it for life or have it slaughtered for Thanksgiving dinner.
While President John F. Kennedy is widely acknowledged for the first official act of pardoning a turkey in 1963, when he famously said, ‘Let this one grow,’ it was during the presidency of George H.W. Bush that the practice was officially formalized. Bush was the first president to use the term ‘pardon’ explicitly, ensuring that the tradition would continue in a structured manner. In 1989, he famously said, ‘But let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table… he’s presented a presidential pardon as of right now.’
The event this year saw the presentation of Gobble and Waddle, two turkeys weighing 50 and 52 pounds, respectively. They traveled from North Carolina to Washington, D.C., for the occasion, and after their pardoning, they will be sent to North Carolina State University’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science, where they can live out their days. This year’s ceremony in the Rose Garden also saw Trump take an opportunity to make a pointed remark about former President Joe Biden, joking that Biden’s 2024 turkey pardons were invalid due to the use of an autopen, an automated device that replicates handwriting. Trump claimed he had already pardoned those turkeys, calling the act ‘totally invalid.’ He also quipped that he had ‘saved them in the nick of time,’ adding a layer of political commentary to the otherwise lighthearted tradition.