Staff Reports
On November 25, 2025, President Trump carried on the long American tradition of the White House turkey pardon in the Rose Garden, where he pardoned two hefty birds named Gobble and Waddle and used the moment to land a political zinger. He joked that former President Joe Biden’s turkey pardons from last year were “null and void” because they were signed by autopen, not by Biden himself. The crowd laughed, but the message landed: our country deserves real leadership, not hollow clerical shortcuts.
Trump went further, saying an investigation had concluded last year’s pardons were invalid and that the turkeys known as Peach and Blossom had been located and nearly sent to processing before his intervention. He played the bit for laughs but also for a point about accountability, claiming to officially re-pardon those birds along with this year’s pair. Whether you find the humor crude or clever, it was a clear shot at the sloppy, by-the-numbers governance we’ve endured.
The president even teased that he almost named this year’s birds “Chuck” and “Nancy,” a cheeky nod at the political class that likes to exempt itself from consequences. That joke landed because Americans are tired of elites who dodge responsibility while lecturing the rest of us on virtue. Trump used a lighthearted ceremony to do what the press won’t do: point out the double standard and make people laugh while he did it.
Beyond the jokes, Trump touted substance — saying turkey prices have fallen under his watch and using the ceremony to highlight economic progress and common-sense policy. He also bragged about the size of this year’s birds, calling Gobble and Waddle the largest turkeys to receive a presidential pardon and emphasizing the administration’s focus on affordability for American families. It’s the kind of populist messaging that lands with working people who pay the bills and put food on the table.
The turkey pardon is supposed to be a light tradition, and the birds come from hardworking farmers in North Carolina and elsewhere, not from Washington elites. This year’s birds will retire to a university program, a reminder that America still has institutions where animals and tradition are respected. Those small details matter to farmers, caretakers, and the millions of Americans who still value stewardship over spectacle.
Make no mistake: the ceremony was political theater, and that’s fine when the theater exposes hypocrisy and celebrates common-sense values. While the media obsesses over manufactured scandals, a president who can jab, joke, and still talk about real results is speaking the language of Main Street, not the echo chambers of the swamp. Conservatives should welcome a leader who uses every stage to defend ordinary Americans and the traditions that bind us.
This Thanksgiving, remember why traditions like the turkey pardon matter — they connect us to family, community, and the simple decency of keeping promises. If you’re tired of weak leadership and bureaucratic shortcuts, take heart: a president who calls out shams and champions the everyday American is not a distraction, he’s a defender of our way of life.
