President Trump Pardons Thanksgiving Turkeys
On November 25, 2025, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participated in the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation Ceremony at the White House. This annual tradition involves the president sparing the lives of two turkeys, with this year’s chosen ones being named Gobble and Waddle.
The custom of presenting live turkeys to U.S. presidents dates back to the 1940s. Initially, there were a few unofficial pardons here and there, but the official ceremony we know today started with President George H.W. Bush in 1989. Since then, every U.S. president has pardoned two turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving.
In this ceremony, one turkey is honored as the “National Thanksgiving Turkey,” while the second serves as a backup. This year’s turkeys were selected from a flock of over 19,000 by Butterball grower Travis Pittman in North Carolina. The birds were spared from becoming dinner and are now at North Carolina’s State University for educational purposes, where they will receive professional care.
Although only one turkey was highlighted during the ceremony—selected through public voting—both were pardoned. Before the formal part of the event began, the turkeys were brought into the White House briefing room by Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt and her young son.
After delivering a light-hearted 20-minute speech, Trump humorously spoke about his administration’s successes and then pardoned one of the turkeys. He also made a jab at former President Joe Biden, suggesting that he may have used an autopen device for his own pardons.
“I have determined that last year’s turkey pardon is completely invalid,” he stated, referencing last year’s turkeys, Peach and Blossom, and assuring the crowd that they would not end up on someone’s Thanksgiving table.
Trump announced that this year’s turkeys were the largest ever presented to a president, each tipping the scales at over 50 pounds. He even joked about naming them Chuck and Nancy, before adding how he actually couldn’t forgive those particular politicians.
In addition, he mentioned that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. had recognized the bird as the first “MAHA turkey,” playing off Kennedy’s slogan, “Make America Healthy Again.”
Trump also took a moment to tout his administration’s strong stance on crime, noting a surprising claim of zero illegal immigration in the past seven months—something that seemed hard for him to believe.
“They’re saying zero. I can’t imagine they would have done that for us,” he said, referring to what he sees as Democratic politics.
Towards the end of the event, he celebrated his administration’s diplomatic achievements and expressed optimism regarding the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Finally, before formally pardoning Gobble, Trump expressed his appreciation for Melania’s role as First Lady.
