US President Donald Trump spared two giant white turkeys, Gobble and Waddle, from Thanksgiving dinner tables on Tuesday, continuing the nation’s long-standing turkey pardon tradition.
The ceremony took place in the White House Rose Garden on 25 November, where the 50-pound birds stood alongside Trump in front of staff and media.
The annual event, first introduced by President George H.W. Bush in 1989, has become one of the lighter and more ceremonial moments in the political calendar.
Gobble and Waddle were raised on a North Carolina farm and had spent the previous night in beds at the Willard InterContinental Hotel before their presidential appearance.
Trump injected his signature humour into the ceremony, joking that he had briefly considered renaming the birds “Chuck and Nancy” after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “But then I realised I wouldn’t be pardoning them,” he said. “I would never pardon those two people.”
The National Turkey Federation confirmed that Gobble and Waddle will retire at North Carolina State University’s agriculture college, where they are expected to live out the remainder of their lives in comfort.
He also issued pardons for Peach and Blossom, a pair of turkeys previously spared by President Joe Biden. Trump, without providing evidence, claimed that their earlier pardons were invalid because Biden had used “an automated signing device.”
Addressing wider economic concerns, Trump highlighted that this year’s Thanksgiving meal would be more affordable for Americans, amid rising cost-of-living worries ahead of next year’s midterm elections. He cited a Walmart study suggesting a 25 per cent drop in meal costs compared with last year, though the American Farm Bureau Federation’s survey estimated a more modest saving of five per cent, amounting to $55.18.
The ceremony coincides with a growing trend of turkeys being “adopted” by families and animal sanctuaries rather than ending up on dinner tables. The Associated Press reported that Gus, a turkey pardoned in Colorado, spends his Thanksgiving week trotting across open pastures at Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary in Erie, enjoying attention and affection from staff.
The sanctuary, which profiles its turkeys by personality traits such as talkative, timid, curious or bossy, has seen sponsorships double annually since 2022. Executive director Kelly Nix told the AP that this year, the sanctuary expects to raise $18,000 from donations. Even small gestures, she said, help draw public attention to the plight of millions of turkeys raised under factory farming conditions.
While the pardons are largely symbolic, they remain a much-loved part of the Thanksgiving tradition, highlighting lighter moments in US politics while also drawing attention to animal welfare.
