Updated on: November 25, 2025 / 8:01 PM EST / CBS News
Washington — President Trump on Tuesday formally pardoned two turkeys, Gobble and Waddle, continuing the White House Thanksgiving tradition. Standing with first lady Melania, Mr. Trump said he was granting the birds a “full and unconditional pardon.”
The brief Rose Garden ceremony was among the president’s final public events at the White House before he departed for Mar-a-Lago for the holiday. The turkeys had been staying at Washington’s Willard InterContinental Hotel in the days leading up to the ceremony. Waddle also made a short visit to the White House briefing room, where White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s son, Nicholas, watched.
Cabinet members attended the event in the Rose Garden, which Mr. Trump recently renovated. Among those in the crowd were Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The first lady joined the president as he arrived, and Mr. Trump praised the redesigned garden during his remarks.
While announcing the pardon for Gobble, Mr. Trump quipped and referenced some of former President Joe Biden’s controversial pardons. After the ceremony, Vice President J.D. Vance, his wife Usha and their daughter Mirabel stopped by to see Gobble.
Travis Pittman of Wayne County, North Carolina, who raised Gobble and Waddle, presented the turkeys at the event. “This is a dream come true,” Pittman told CBS News. He said he typically raises flocks of at least 19,000 turkeys on his farm for Butterball, the nation’s largest turkey producer. Pittman noted that Gobble and Waddle were especially comfortable around his family and tended to come to him first each day. He credited his young son, Carter, for helping feed and interact with the birds and said the experience was a reminder that farming is both a family endeavor and a full-time job.
Ed O’Keefe contributed to this report.