On Tuesday, President Donald Trump carried out the traditional turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House in his usual style.
It’s that time of year when the US President traditionally pardons two turkeys at the White House. However, the two birds, Gobble and Waddle, got more than expected at the much-loved ceremony. Donald Trump made jokes at the annual turkey pardoning ceremony, so readers can figure how well it went.
Tuesday saw Trump at the annual Thanksgiving ceremony ready to serve up some political satire. The president’s speech was in the typical Trump “curve” style and were in bad taste, as he went from one topic to another in the (former) Rose Garden. In a day intended for good cheer and charity, he described a state governor as “a big, fat slob.”
The pardoning of Thanksgiving turkeys is a White House tradition.
What’s untraditional is the event being stuffed with a heaping serving of politics.
Among the things President Trump said during today’s event:
• Claimed President Biden’s turkey pardons, and other pardons,… pic.twitter.com/Im0muZZ0zV
— Taylor Popielarz (@TaylorPopielarz) November 25, 2025
In both his first presidential curve and his current presidency, Trump has made an effort to trash beloved presidential traditions. In a somewhat silly but reassuring ritual, presidents rarely offer bad puns and usually offer uplifting words on the State of the Nation. In other words, these ceremonies are not meant to make mainstream news.
However, this year, under the mantel of Donald Trump, the ceremony was different. In normal times, two turkeys are present in the Rose Garden, following a public vote on which bird should be pardoned. However, this year, only Gobble was present, while Waddle was, as Trump put it, “missing in action.”
Meanwhile, the (former) Rose Garden has been transformed with its grass paved over with slabs, close to a presidential walk of fame, featuring typical tacky Trump gold and framed portraits of Trump’s many predecessors, with the obvious exception of Joe Biden, who was replaced by an autopen.
Moreover, a framed mirror behind the president revealed a yellow crane, working at the site of the former White House East Wing. While light rain fell, Trump and first lady, Melania emerged from the Oval Office, with the president telling the camera, “I hope you like our new beautiful patio with matching stones at the White House,” before adding, “If it were grass today, you’d be sinking into the mud like they’ve done for many years, and you would be very unhappy.”
While at election campaign rallies, Trump was known to have down-to-earth comments that grabbed his MAGA audience, at the turkey pardoning event, the president’s wit was failing.
The gags came after the news of the justice department’s prosecution of political opponents was tossed out by a judge. Trump mumbled and rambled about a thorough investigation by attorney general Pam Bondi “into a terrible situation caused by a man named Sleepy Joe Biden. He used an autopen last year for the turkey’s pardon.”
Moreover, the president didn’t get the laughter he wanted from the audience, including vice president JD Vance and his wife Usha. Meanwhile, Bondi and the “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth, rarely chuckled either.
Despite his obvious disappointment, the president persisted, saying, “I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined, that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid.”
At last, Trump received some polite chuckles from the audience, which was immediately spoiled by his talk of the pardon for Biden’s son Hunter.
“The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed – in other words, to be killed. But I’ve stopped that journey, and I am officially pardoning them, and they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time,” the president said.
“When I first saw their pictures, I thought we should send them – well, I shouldn’t say this – I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy,” a reference to Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi that earned some humor from those gathered close.
“But then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning 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.’ I won’t do it, darling.”
Meanwhile, at more than 50 lbs, Gobble and Waddle were larger than many of their predecessors. Donald Trump claimed that health secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr had certified them as the first-ever “Maha” (Make America Healthy Again) turkeys. He worried that Gobble might attack him and then, randomly, talked about immigration again.
This led to one of the worst jokes of the day, where the president said, “Instead of pardoning, some of my more enthusiastic staffers were already drafting the paperwork to ship Gobble and Waddle straight to the terrorist confinement center in El Salvador. And even those birds don’t want to be there. You know what I mean.”
Moreover, the US president moved on to speak of his crackdown on crime in Chicago and Washington DC, saying, “They burned this beautiful woman riding in a train,” completely at odds with the usual jovial ceremony. With anger is his voice, Trump ignored a pre-written line about Illinois governor JB Pritzker’s weight, calling him a “big fat slob,” while admitting he could afford to lose some pounds from his regular McDonald’s and KFC diet.
Following this, Trump got back into the ceremony’s theme while walking over to Gobble, saying, “Gobble, I just want to tell you this – very important – you are hereby unconditionally pardoned!”
While running his hand over the turkey’s feathers, he noted, “Who would want to harm this beautiful bird?” Below is a tailored version of the event.
A time-honored American tradition: pardoning America’s LUCKIEST birds.
These turkeys have officially been saved from the Thanksgiving table. 🦃🔥 pic.twitter.com/xtuNgnHJn8
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 26, 2025
No doubt many who attended the event were glad when it was over.
