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How the White House Turkey Pardon Became an American Thanksgiving Tradition — and This Year's Twist

09:36 PM, 11/27/2025
How the White House Turkey Pardon Became an American Thanksgiving Tradition — and This Year's Twist

The White House turkey pardon grew from the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation of the 1940s into an annual presidential ritual. John F. Kennedy’s 1963 remark that he would "let this one grow" helped popularize the idea, and George H.W. Bush later formalized the practice by using the word "pardon." This year President Trump pardoned Gobble and Waddle (about 50 and 52 lbs), who will go to NC State’s poultry program; Trump also alleged that Joe Biden used an autopen for 2024 pardons and said he had "saved" those turkeys.

President Donald Trump pardoned two turkeys, Gobble and Waddle, during a Rose Garden ceremony, continuing a long-running White House Thanksgiving ritual. The birds, weighing about 50 and 52 pounds, traveled from North Carolina to Washington and are set to spend their retirement at North Carolina State University’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science.

From gift to tradition

The ceremony traces its roots to the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, a practice that began in the 1940s when the National Turkey Federation presented a live bird to the president each Thanksgiving. Over time the lighthearted presentation evolved into an annual public event.

Early moments that shaped the ritual

President John F. Kennedy is often credited with the first modern "pardon-like" moment in 1963 when he said he would "let this one grow." Although he did not use the word pardon, the remark set a tone that later leaders would embrace.

Presidents have since treated the occasion with levity and pageantry. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan joked about that year’s turkey, saying he would have pardoned the bird under different circumstances.

Formalizing the pardon

"He will not end up on anyone’s dinner table… he’s presented a presidential pardon as of right now,"

President George H.W. Bush is credited with formalizing the modern tradition in 1989 by explicitly using the word "pardon," ensuring the event became an annual, ceremonial feature of White House Thanksgiving observances.

This year’s ceremony

At this year’s Rose Garden event, the two turkeys — Gobble and Waddle — were introduced and pardoned before a small crowd. After the ceremony they were scheduled to be transported to North Carolina State University’s poultry program to live out their retirement.

During remarks at the event, President Trump also accused former President Joe Biden of using an autopen to approve the 2024 turkey pardons and called those pardons "invalid." Mr. Trump joked that, for that reason, he had "saved" those turkeys as well. The claim about the autopen reflects the president’s comment at the ceremony.

Why it matters

The turkey pardon is a ceremonial moment that blends presidential pageantry, lighthearted tradition and public attention around Thanksgiving. It has evolved from a simple agricultural presentation into a widely recognized annual ritual, reflecting changing presidential styles and public interest in symbolic gestures.

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