Obama Pardons ‘Liberty’ and ‘Peace’ Turkeys For Thanksgiving


Liberty and Peace will live on for at least one more day. President Obama pardoned two turkeys, named Liberty and Peace, during a ceremony at the White House today.

Standing in between his two daughters, Sasha and Malia, Obama pardoned the two National Thanksgiving Turkeys, continuing a presidential tradition that has been performed for the last 64 years.

Obama said:

“Some of you may know that recently I’ve been taking a series of executive actions that don’t require congressional approval. Well, here’s another one. We can’t wait to pardon these turkeys. Literally. Otherwise, they’d end up next to the mashed potatoes and stuffing.”

According to ABC, the two 19-week, 45-pound birds got their names from over 100 submissions to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association’s website.

According to Obama, the two turkeys were vigorously trained for their day in front of the media. Obama said:

“I’m told that in order to prepare Liberty and Peace for their big day, the students exposed them to loud noises and flash bulbs so that they’d be ready to face the White House press corps. This is actually true. They also received the most important part of their media training, which involves learning how to gobble without really saying anything,”

But Obama wasn’t all jokes. He said that Thanksgiving was the perfect time to reflect and“be grateful for what we have, be mindful of those who have less.”

Here’s a video from the Associated Press of Obama pardoning two turkeys for Thanksgiving.

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