It seems like Donald Trump has taken the Latin phrase “seize the day” a little too seriously! The 79-year-old turned the 2025 pre-Thanksgiving celebrations into a political spectacle. Usually, Thanksgiving is a celebration that honors the harvest. It is marked by prayer, a feast, gratitude, wholesome positivity, and cheerful times.
During the November 25 pardoning of turkeys Gobble and Waddle in the White House Rose Garden, Trump used much of his speech to attack two prominent Democratic critics: former President Joe Biden and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, with whom the president has had significant political differences even before his time began.
According to USA Today, Donald Trump declared Chicago’s leadership “incompetent.” He went on to mock Pritzker’s weight, even while claiming he wasn’t going to joke about it, as he does not like people talking about other people’s weight. “The mayor is incompetent, and the governor is a big fat slob,” Trump added.
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As he mocked the governor, Trump added, “I’d like to lose a few pounds, too, by the way.” Trump also referenced his recent deployment of the National Guard to Chicago and Portland as part of his crackdown on crime in Democratic-led cities. The Pentagon withdrew the troops last week amid ongoing legal challenges to the deployment.
Toward the latter part of Trump’s speech, he made a false claim about Washington, D.C., saying the city had gone six months without a homicide. In reality, the Metropolitan Police Department reports 123 murders so far this year, though homicides are down 29% from 2024.
In previous instances, when National Guard troops were deployed to the capital city, Trump made similar unproven claims on August 11. According to the president, crime rates in Washington, D.C. have drastically increased over the last few years, and it’s not safe anymore.
However, PolitiFact noted that the crime statistics referenced by Donald Trump were from 2023 and that D.C.’s homicide rate has significantly decreased since then. Many other media outlets claimed that Trump’s statements aren’t based on accurate facts, and his policies are making the city a militarized zone.
J.B. Pritzker also slammed Trump for sending troops to Chicago despite stark warnings and creating unrest and instilling fear among its minority communities and people of color.
Trump’s pre-Thanksgiving speech also included attacks on Joe Biden’s (whom he called “Sleepy Joe”) previous turkey pardons. He declared Biden’s 2024 pardons of Peach and Blossom “invalid” because they were signed using an autopen, as he claimed that he “re-pardoned” those birds to prevent them from being eaten.
Just now
President Trump declares the White House Turkey “unconditionally pardoned” pic.twitter.com/udgYYusyPU
— Joe Testa (@BryptoJoe) November 25, 2025
For context, pardoned turkeys are those who are spared from slaughter for the main event. Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, and other sweet treats are some staples of an American and Canadian Thanksgiving spread.
In 2024, former President Joe Biden and his team pardoned two turkeys, Peach and Blossom, weighing 41 and 40 pounds, respectively. Peach and Blossom joined other pardoned turkeys during Biden’s presidency, including Liberty and Bell (2023), Chocolate and Chip (2022), and Peanut Butter and Jelly (2021).
Throughout the ceremony, Trump proudly talked about his administration’s first-year accomplishments, claiming progress on reducing global conflicts and improving affordability in the U.S. He even joked that he considered naming this year’s turkeys “Chuck and Nancy” after Sen. Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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Later, he put an end to his flat humor by saying that he would not be pardoning either of them.” I would never pardon those two people. I wouldn’t pardon them. I wouldn’t care what Melania told me. ‘Darling, I think it would be a nice thing to do.'”
The word “pardon” wasn’t applied until Ronald Reagan’s presidency in 1987. It was officially declared as a tradition by George H.W. Bush in 1989.
