Donald Trump took part in a long-standing White House tradition on Tuesday afternoon. As the 78th National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony took place on November 25, the POTUS pardoned Gobble and Waddle. The two turkeys are considered the luckiest in the country this year. First Lady Melania Trump also took part in the ceremony.
However, what caught everyone’s attention was an exchange between the President and his wife. A lip-reading expert has revealed more about Trump’s remarks to Melania. In a clip from the ceremony, the POTUS was seen taking the lead after the First Lady held back. According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, Donald Trump told her, “I’m happy to go after you,” as reported by The Mirror US.
While pardoning the turkey named Gobble, the POTUS expressed surprise at its size. “Wow! Okay, okay, look at that… so that’s not abnormal? … It’s normal then? How big do they get? It looks like a rather violent bird,” he said, according to the lip-reading expert.
PARDON DAY 🦃🇺🇸
Gobble, you are officially free! pic.twitter.com/EW0BGvEtBd
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 25, 2025
Ahead of the ceremony, both turkeys received a warm welcome at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in D.C. However, only Gobble was able to attend the pardoning. Both birds were raised in North Carolina. Following the ceremony, they will return to the North Carolina State University’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science in Raleigh, where they will spend the rest of their lives.
For those unfamiliar, the turkey pardoning tradition reportedly dates back to Abraham Lincoln’s era. According to tales, during his administration, his son reportedly asked him to pardon the turkey that was destined to be on their dinner table for Thanksgiving. That’s when it all started. Later, George H.W. Bush transformed it into an official pardoning ceremony. Since then, Presidents have been taking part in this White House holiday tradition, sparing one or more turkeys every year from being served on the dinner table.
Although this year’s Thanksgiving ceremony was quite light-hearted, Donald Trump added his own political drama. Right after pardoning the turkeys, the Republican President shifted his attention to attacking his political rival, J.B. Pritzker.
🚨 LMAO! President Trump: “I’m not going to tell my Pritzker joke. A very cute little joke, you know.”
“I don’t talk about people being fat.”
I REFUSE to talk about the fact that he’s a FAT SLOB. I don’t mention it!” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/KGtOQh3vAP
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 25, 2025
“I’m not gonna tell my Pritzker joke, they have a very cute little joke. A speech writer wrote a joke about his weight. But I would never want to talk about his weight,” he said. Mere seconds later, he contradicted his own words when he indeed mocked the Governor of Illinois.
“I would never want to talk about his weight. I don’t talk about people being fat. I refuse to talk about the fact that he is a fat slob, I don’t mention it,” said Donald Trump.
