President Trump pardons two turkeys in annual White House Thanksgiving tradition
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - President Donald Trump spared two turkeys, named Gobble and Waddle, from Thanksgiving dinner plates at Tuesday's annual Turkey Pardoning Ceremony.
The White House speech felt more like a campaign rally than a symbolic ceremony, with President Trump calling out Democratic rivals throughout his remarks.
"If you look at the crime that's taken place in Chicago in the last two weeks, just take a look. So the front page of every newspaper, 'It's out of control.' The mayor is incompetent and the governor is a big fat slob. He ought to invite us in. Say, 'Please make Chicago safe,'" Trump said in his speech.
Trump also joking declared last year's turkey pardoning "null and void" due to former President Joe Biden's use of "autopen" before re-pardoning the 2024 turkeys.
"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 have 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. This one has plenty of time, but they were saved in the nick of time."
President Donald Trump
He also quipped that he was considering naming the turkeys Chuck and Nancy in a reference to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I wouldn't be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people," the president shared.
Gobble, the official White House turkey, is a 52-pound bird while Waddle, the designated alternate, is a slender 50. Both were hatched on July 14.
After the ceremony, they're slated to go to north carolina state university, where, according to the national turkey federation, they'll spend the rest of their days as ambassadors for the industry.
