Staff Reports
On November 25, 2025, President Trump carried on the time-honored White House Thanksgiving tradition by officially pardoning two turkeys — Gobble and Waddle — in the Rose Garden, and he did it the only way he knows how: with a little humor and a lot of truth-telling. The ceremony wasn’t a sleepy bipartisan photo op; it was a reminder that conservative leadership still knows how to speak plainly to the American people.
Instead of genuflecting to the media’s script, the President fired off zingers that had the crowd laughing and the left outraged — suggesting the birds should be named “Chuck and Nancy,” joking that last year’s pardons were “invalid” because of an autopen, and even quipping about sending turkeys to a notorious prison as a punchline against lawlessness. That blunt, no-nonsense style is exactly why millions of Americans tune in: he calls out the hypocrisy and refuses to play conventional Washington games.
True to form, Mr. Trump used the stage to press his point that Americans are getting relief at the grocery store, touting lower Thanksgiving meal costs under his watch — a line the establishment press rushed to nitpick but one that resonates with working families who care about bringing food to the table. Conservatives should celebrate an administration that prioritizes pocketbook issues and isn’t afraid to tout wins even when the beltway media wants to rewrite the story.
The practical part of the ceremony was no afterthought: Gobble and Waddle will be spared the dinner table and sent to live out their lives under the care of North Carolina State University’s poultry program, while last year’s birds — Peach and Blossom — have been safe at Farmamerica despite the President’s theatrical “re-pardoning” jab. It’s a wholesome ending to a silly, symbolic tradition, and it underscores that conservatism can be both fun and rooted in common-sense outcomes for Americans and animals alike.
Don’t let the pearl-clutching from the coastal elites fool you: this ceremony was a reminder that political theater can also be grassroots messaging. Conservatives should be proud that our leader used an old American ritual to push back against partisan double standards, defend everyday families, and remind the country that patriotism doesn’t require permission from the pundit class.
So this Thanksgiving, when you sit down with your family, remember what mattered in the Rose Garden — a president who speaks plainly, defends ordinary Americans, and keeps our traditions alive without apology. That’s the kind of bold, unapologetic leadership hardworking patriots deserve.
