Trump to pardon two turkeys in annual Thanksgiving tradition that starts holiday season: Live updates
Trump declares 2024 turkey pardons ‘invalid’ and suggests new names for this year’s birds
- President Donald Trump threw a few jabs at his political foes while pardoning turkeys at the White House on Tuesday.
- Trump hosted the 78th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation where he pardoned four-month-old turkeys Waddle and Gobble.
- At the start of the ceremony, Trump quipped that last year’s pardons were “invalid,” a jab tied to his criticism of former President Joe Biden’s autopen use.
- He went on to suggest that this year’s turkeys should’ve been named “Chuck and Nancy,” referencing Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, but said he wouldn’t want to pardon them if that were the case.
- The ceremony has spanned decades starting when President Harry S. Truman was presented a turkey in 1947, and John F. Kennedy was the first president to technically grant clemency to a turkey in 1963.