Trump Pardons Thanksgiving Turkeys, Blasts Biden

Gobble and Waddle won’t get gobbled this Thanksgiving — they’re waddling off to freedom instead after President Donald Trump granted pardons to those two turkeys on Tuesday.

During the traditional Rose Garden ceremony in which the birds get spared from the butcher, Trump also suggested a U.S.-brokered peace deal between Ukraine and Russia soon could come to fruition.

“I think we’re getting very close to a deal; we’ll find out,” Trump said. “I think we’re making progress.”

Trump also bashed former President Joe Biden, claiming that his predecessor used an autopen to sign last year’s turkey pardons, making them “totally invalid.”

Trump cracked that he has “officially pardoned” those other birds, Peach and Blossom, adding that he “saved them in the nick of time.”

Gobble and Waddle were raised on a small farm in Wayne County, North Carolina, owned by Travis and Amanda Pittman, who raised turkeys for Butterball.

First lady Melania Trump’s office had encouraged Americans to text “Gobble” or “Waddle” to 45470 to decide which bird would receive the formal pardon.

Earlier this year, she posted a poll on X to name the birds.

Born in July and weighing 52 and 50 pounds respectively, Gobble and Waddle spent the past week getting used to noise, lights, and crowds before checking into their ceremonial suite at the Willard InterContinental Hotel — a long-running perk of being a presidential turkey.

Both birds will now retire to North Carolina State University’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science, the same destination for Chocolate and Chip, whom Biden pardoned in 2022.

This year’s ceremony, the first of Trump’s second term in the White House, comes as turkey prices have soared.

The U.S. turkey flock has fallen to its smallest size in nearly 40 years as avian flu outbreaks as demand for turkey meat has peaked, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Wholesale turkey prices are up roughly 75% from October 2024, averaging $1.71 per pound now versus 94 cents at the same time a year ago, according to USDA data and analysis from Purdue University’s College of Agriculture.

Retail turkey prices have risen more than 25%, putting a typical 15-pound bird at about $31.

Experts previously told CNBC that retailers who ordered turkeys early locked in lower prices, while others relying on the spot market are facing steeper costs.

Wells Fargo’s agriculture team said there could be a $20 difference in the price of comparably sized turkeys depending on where consumers shopped.

Major retailers have offered holiday promotions to lure cost-conscious shoppers.

Walmart is advertising a dinner bundle for 10 people for under $56; Aldi has one for $40; Amazon is offering a $25 dinner promotion; and Target announced a $20 Thanksgiving deal for four.

Despite elevated turkey prices, the broader Thanksgiving meal for 10 is less expensive for the third straight year, according to the AFBF. A “classic” 16-pound turkey dinner with sides averages $55.18 nationwide.

The annual turkey presentation dates to the 1940s and became a formal presidential pardon in 1989 under George H. W. Bush. But presidents have been gifted turkeys since the 1870s, according to the White House Historical Association. Over time, the rite has evolved into soft marketing for America’s multibillion-dollar poultry industry.