President Trump pardoned two turkeys, Gobble and Waddle. After their reprieve they’ll go to North Carolina State University’s Department of Poultry Science. Presidents have offered turkey reprieves for decades, and the ceremony is now a Thanksgiving staple. Here’s how the quirky Washington tradition developed.
In 1947, Harry Truman took part in an official turkey presentation. During post–World War II food conservation, Truman had promoted poultryless Thursdays, which upset the poultry industry. The National Turkey Federation sent him a giant turkey that December as a peace offering; he posed with the bird, though the Truman Library has no record of any official “home” for it.
In 1963, John F. Kennedy spared a turkey that sat atop a sign reading, “Good eating, Mr. President,” which became the first unofficial turkey pardon. Later first ladies, such as Patricia Nixon and Rosalynn Carter, sent turkeys their husbands received to public zoos or farms rather than the dinner table. Ronald Reagan publicly referenced pardoning a turkey—Charlie the Turkey—while deflecting questions during the Iran–Contra era.
The turkey pardon became a formal White House tradition in 1989 with President George H.W. Bush. At the annual receiving ceremony he announced that the bird would be given a presidential pardon rather than be eaten, establishing the tongue-in-cheek, joke-filled format later presidents would follow. Barack Obama was known for delivering a “cornucopia of dad jokes” about the birds as his daughters cringed beside him. Since the pardon became an official White House tradition, more than 60 turkeys have been spared.
