Gobble and Waddle will be no one's Thanksgiving meal.

President Donald Trump continued the beloved, if not eccentric, tradition of ceremonially pardoning two turkeys at the White House on Nov. 25, in a cheery event that brought dozens of reporters, staff and their families.

"Today we continue a time-honored American tradition," Trump said, before he was interrupted by a loud gobble of one of the turkeys. "Well, that’s a well-trained turkey! See how happy he is?" Trump joked to the crowd.

Yet, unlike tradition, the president swiftly switched gears to discuss political matters in his opening remarks, making several jokes that blurred the line between the light-hearted ceremony and the administration's leading, and in several cases controversial, policies. Trump began his speech by calling the previous administration's pardons "hereby null and void," referring to former President Joe Biden's use of the autopen, which he has criticized.

The remarks drew scattered laughter.

Trump said last year's pardoned turkeys, Peach and Blossom were "on their way to be processed, in other words, to be killed."

"But I have stopped that journey and I am officially pardoning them and they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner," Trump said, appearing to joke.

This year’s presentation marks the 78th year of the tradition, which has continued through 15 successive administrations.

The two birds were raised by Travis Pittman of North Carolina and under the direction of The National Turkey Federation Chairman and Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain. Their names, Gobble and Waddle, were selected via an online poll posted to social media by the Office of the First Lady.

Trump said the two turkeys weighed over 50 pounds, joking he had never seen turkeys that big before.

"Despite their size, Secretary Kennedy has formally certified that these are the first ever MAHA turkeys," the president said.

Trump also mentioned the newly renovated Rose Garden, where the ceremony was held.

"I hope you like our new beautiful patio," Trump said, referring to the Rose Garden’s makeover, which included paving over much of the lawn. "If this were grass today you’d be sinking into the mud like they’ve done for many years."

After spending the night before their Tuesday, Nov. 25 pardons at the Willard InterContinental Hotel near the White House, the two birds will head back home to North Carolina to live out the rest of their days.

Like other turkeys before them, Gobble and Waddle were part of a special "Presidential Flock" hatched over the summer, according to The National Turkey Federation, and prepared in advance for the spotlight. A team trains the turkeys to be comfortable around crowds, bright lights and loud sounds, and being handled during the pardon ceremony.

Since 2001, presidents have pardoned two turkeys at the annual ceremony: the primary bird and its alternate.

Though the tradition's origins stretch back to 1947 when President Harry Truman received a live turkey from the National Turkey Federation, it wasn't until 1989 that the practice of saving the turkeys − not eating them − really started.

That's the year President George H.W. Bush declared that the bird would be officially pardoned, sparking the annual event we see today.

Along with the president and first lady, several top administration officials were also in attendance, including Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brought her son to the White House Briefing Room earlier in the day to meet Waddle for a photo opportunity.

However, the tradition is not universally loved. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has long condemned the practice. In a Nov. 18 statement, the advocacy group called it a "commercial for the cruel meat industry."

Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump pardons turkeys Gobble, Waddle in annual Thanksgiving tradition

Reporting by Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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