In a scene brimming with seasonal spectacle, former President Donald Trump delivered a memorable performance during the annual White House turkey pardon, hilariously attempting to mimic the bird's signature sound.
The event, held in the picturesque White House Rose Garden on November 26, 2025, saw Trump standing alongside his wife, Melania, to grant a formal reprieve to two turkeys from North Carolina named Gobble and Waddle.
The Rose Garden Gobble
As Trump began the official proclamation for Gobble, stating, "Gobble, I just want to tell you this – very important – you are hereby unconditionally -", he was promptly interrupted by the turkey itself, which let out a perfectly timed gobble. The President finished his sentence, "- pardoned," but the moment had already been stolen.
Not to be outdone, Trump then decided to do his own best impression of a turkey's gobble, a move that was met with laughter from the assembled crowd in the garden. He was later overheard remarking, "Who would want to harm this beautiful bird?"
While Gobble was the star of the show, the whereabouts of the second turkey, Waddle, were initially a mystery. Trump addressed the absence by saying, "Waddle, by the way, is missing in action, but that's OK, we'll pretend Waddle is here." The missing fowl was later spotted safe and sound in the White House press briefing room.
The History of the Presidential Pardon
This light-hearted ceremony has deeper roots than many realise. While US Presidents have participated in ceremonial turkey presentations since the 1940s, it was President George H.W. Bush in 1989 who firmly established the pardon as an annual tradition.
In that first official pardon, Bush joked about the nervous bird, assuring it, "he will not end up on anyone's dinner table, not this guy. He's granted a Presidential pardon as of right now." From that moment, a new White House ritual was born.
Life After the Pardon
What becomes of these fortunate fowls after their moment in the spotlight? Contrary to the popular belief that they retire to a peaceful farm, their futures are varied.
Many pardoned turkeys are sent to petting zoos, universities, or even public attractions like Disneyland. However, a sobering reality is that these birds, bred in captivity, often do not have long lifespans despite their high-profile reprieve.
The selection process for the turkeys is also a meticulous one. They are often chosen from a 'presidential flock' when they are young and are specially trained to remain calm under the bright lights and scrutiny of the big day. They are then given names, with the public sometimes voting on the winning monikers. Past famous pairs include Corn and Cob, and Liberty and Bell.
The tradition itself harks back to the 1800s, when birds were sent to the White House as gestures of holiday goodwill. The Thanksgiving holiday was nationally established by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War, though the day is also a subject of controversy, with many Native Americans criticising it for whitewashing the nation's violent history.
