This video is no longer available.
(CNN) 鈥� President Donald Trump has leaned into his clemency powers during his second term, dishing out pardons to more than 1,000 January 6 , disgraced former , former New York Mayor 鈥� and now: Gobble and Waddle.
Justice was served at the White House on Tuesday as Trump pardoned a pair of turkeys for fowl reasons, participating in the 78th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation.
The president had some fun at the annual Thanksgiving roast, though he didn鈥檛 entirely set politics aside.
Former President Joe Biden, he joked, 鈥渦sed an last year for the turkey鈥檚 pardon.鈥� Trump added: 鈥淪o I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined, that last year鈥檚 turkey pardons are totally invalid.鈥�
Gobble and Waddle, he said, were granted 鈥渁 full, absolute and unconditional presidential pardon.鈥�
The president later joked that he would鈥檝e named the birds 鈥淐huck and Nancy,鈥� referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats.
鈥淚 was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I wouldn鈥檛 be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two,鈥� he said.
The turkey pardon marks a yearly opportunity for a cornucopia of jokes and a moment to give thanks 鈥� providing some levity amid a range of global crises and plenty of political upheaval.
Unlike previous years, just one turkey took part in the ceremonial pardon, injecting a little suspense into the process. (Both turkeys, according to the office of the first lady, were ultimately spared.) First lady Melania Trump鈥檚 office invited the American people to vote via text message for which turkey would participate.
Gobble emerged victorious and was granted clemency, though the bird repeatedly interrupted the president鈥檚 speech with loud squawks 鈥� highlighting the perils of hosting live animals at a presidential event.
Hatched in July in North Carolina, Gobble and Waddle weigh in at 52 and 50 pounds, respectively, and rode the gravy train to Washington. They spent their young lives training for their pardon, getting acclimated to loud sounds, big crowds and bright lights ahead of a luxe stay in a suite at the nearby Willard InterContinental Hotel.
Following Tuesday鈥檚 festivities, the birds will retreat to North Carolina State University鈥檚 Prestage Department of Poultry Science in Raleigh to live out a relieved retirement.
Rumors of turkey pardons go back in presidential history as far as Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 administration. Folklore has it that Lincoln鈥檚 young son asked his father to spare a pet turkey that was supposed to be part of their Thanksgiving dinner.
A competitive version of the ceremony became national news in 1920, when a turkey from Texas sent to Woodrow Wilson in a White House-shaped crate battled outside the People鈥檚 House with a turkey from Kentucky. The Kentucky bird emerged victorious, according to the .
The National Turkey Federation became the official turkey supplier to the first family in 1947, and the formal turkey presentation ceremony has been around since Harry Truman鈥檚 tenure. Truman had asked Americans to observe poultry-less Thursdays to support rationing in Europe after World War II, according to the . The policy wasn鈥檛 very popular, and the federation presented Truman with a live turkey as a sign of protest, kicking off the annual tradition. While Truman was the first to accept a turkey from the group, he did not offer it a pardon.
The first documented turkey pardon was given by John F. Kennedy in 1963, though it didn鈥檛 catch on right away. Even though Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, neither decided to pardon any turkeys as president.
Turkey pardoning became the norm in 1989, when George H.W. Bush revived the tradition, now a staple of the .
Tuesday marked Trump鈥檚 fifth turkey pardon, and, like his recent predecessors, he has peppered his events with topical political jokes.
Trump poked fun at the impeachment inquiry against him in 2019, that the turkeys 鈥渉ave already received subpoenas to appear in Adam Schiff鈥檚 basement,鈥� referring to the California Democrat, then a congressman.
Former President Joe Biden nodded to the 2022 midterm election dynamics Chocolate and Chip: 鈥淭he votes are in, they鈥檝e been counted and verified, no ballot stuffing, no fowl play. The only red wave this season is going to be if German shepherd Commander knocks over the cranberry sauce.鈥�
And Barack Obama in 2016: 鈥淚 want to take a moment to recognize the great turkeys who weren鈥檛 so lucky, who didn鈥檛 get to ride the gravy train to freedom. Who met their fate with courage and sacrifice and proved that they weren鈥檛 chicken.鈥�
鈥淵es, we cran,鈥� Obama added.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
The-CNN-Wire
鈩� & 漏 2025 Cable 草莓传媒 Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
