Washington — President Trump on Tuesday pardoned turkeys “Gobble” and “Waddle” in keeping with storied White House Thanksgiving tradition.
Mr. Trump, with first lady Melania at his side, said he was granting the turkeys a “full and unconditional pardon.”
Tuesday’s ceremony is one of Mr. Trump’s final actvities at the White House before he heads to Mar-a-Lago for the holiday.
Here are some photos from the day’s festivities:
Waddle and Gobble stayed at Washington D.C.’s posh Willard Hotel ahead of Tuesday’s pardoning.
Waddle joined the White House briefing room ahead of the pardoning.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s son Nicholas also visited the briefing room.
Members of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet were in the crowd in the Rose Garden, which was recently redone by Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump on Tuesday complimented the new Rose Garden.
First lady Melania Trump joined Mr. Trump in the Rose Garden.
Mr. Trump said he was granting Gobble a “full and unconditional pardon,” and joked about some of former President Joe Biden’s controversial pardons.
Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha Vance and their daughter Mirabel visited Gobble after he was pardoned.
Travis Pittman of Wayne County, North Carolina, had the honor of raising Gobble and Waddle.
“This is a dream come true,” he told CBS News.
Pittman typically raises flocks of at least 19,000 turkeys on his farm for Butterball, the nation’s largest turkey producer.
“They were normally the two that came to us first every day,” Pittman said of Gobble and Waddle. “They were more comfortable.”
Pittman credited his young son, Carter, for helping feed and interact with the winning birds. He said it’s a reminder that farming is a family business and a family-wide commitment.
“Most people that are in that industry work countless hours,” Pittman said of his message to people as they celebrate Thanksgiving this week. “And not only do they work hours in whether they’re in their flock of birds with turkeys, or if they’re in the farm fields and the tractors and all, they carry this job home at night also. As my wife would say, you really never get away from it.”
