By Reena Bhardwaj
Washington, DC [US], November 26 : President Donald Trump continued the long-standing White House tradition of pardoning two turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving, granting clemency to birds named Waddle and Gobble during a ceremony marked by humour and political barbs.
"Gobble, I just want to tell you, this is very important: you are hereby unconditionally pardoned," Trump told one of the birds, which responded with loud gobbling sounds.
The annual turkey pardon spares selected birds from becoming part of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, which will be celebrated across the United States on Thursday and typically features roast turkey.
This year's fortunate fowl, named Waddle and Gobble, hail from North Carolina. The pair enjoyed accommodation at The Willard Intercontinental, a luxury hotel, before their appearance at the White House.
The quirky tradition dates back to 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln is said to have spared a turkey's life after his son became fond of the bird.
In remarks that mixed humour with political commentary, Trump opened the ceremony by claiming all turkey pardons issued by his predecessor, Joe Biden, were invalid due to his use of an autopen.
He said two birds previously pardoned by Biden - Peach and Blossom - had been located just before they were due to be slaughtered. "I am officially pardoning them, and they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner," he said. "We saved them in the nick of time."
The ceremony, which drew a substantial crowd including numerous Trump cabinet members and their families, featured several political gibes aimed at Congressional Democrats.
Trump remarked that upon seeing the turkeys, he considered naming them Chuck and Nancy, in an apparent reference to Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
"But then I realised I wouldn't be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people," Trump said, adding he would not do so "no matter what Melania told me".
Trump previously conducted the pardoning ceremony in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and shortly after his election defeat. On that occasion, he pardoned turkeys named Corn and Cobb.
Both Waddle and Gobble will now return to their home state of North Carolina, escaping the fate of the approximately 46 million turkeys consumed across America during Thanksgiving.
The tradition extends beyond the White House, with governors in several US states holding their own turkey pardoning ceremonies. The creative naming of the birds remains one of the ceremony's most entertaining elements.
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