President Joe Biden pardoned his final two turkeys at the White House on Monday in a lighthearted Thanksgiving tradition that dates back more than 100 years.
“Fellas, your prayers are going to be answered today,” Biden said in a ceremony on the South Lawn. “Based on your temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom.”
“I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom!”
President Biden participates in National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony pic.twitter.com/JlHyUD1lNR
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 25, 2024
Peach and Blossom were the names given to the two turkeys who journeyed down from Minnesota for the occasion, each weighing about 40 pounds. They were named for the peach blossom, the state flower of Delaware, Biden’s home.
With a 2,500-person crowd on hand, Biden took part for the fourth and final time in the annual ceremony, delivering a speech that was periodically interrupted with gobbles from Peach.
In moments of levity, he praised the life and spirit of the two turkeys.
“He lives by the motto ‘keep calm and gobble on,’” Biden said of Peach, while Blossom’s motto was, “No fowl play, just Minnesota nice.”
The turkey pardon tradition dates back to former President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, though it has evolved over the years.
The pardoning of a turkey ahead of the holiday, for which the bird is the traditional main dish, became a tradition under former President George H.W. Bush in 1989. His predecessor, former President Ronald Reagan, became the first to use the term “pardon” in the ceremony in 1987.
Biden peppered his speech with turkey-flavored jokes, saying the two birds were fans of Bon Jovi’s 1986 hit “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
“Today, Peach and Blossom will join the free birds of the United States of America,” he said.
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With the ceremony over, Biden will fly to New York City to participate in a Friendsgiving event Monday evening.
He will head to Nantucket, Massachusetts, later this week, where he has spent Thanksgiving in prior years of his presidency.
