November 25, 2025 09:20 PM IST
First published on: Nov 25, 2025 at 09:19 PM IST
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Turkeys Waddle and Gobble, who will receive a Presidential Pardon at the White House ahead of Thanksgiving, enjoy their hotel room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, in Washington, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
US President Donald Trump will issue ceremonial pardons to two turkeys on Tuesday as part of Thanksgiving Day celebrations. The two turkeys, named Gobble and Waddle, are considered the luckiest in the country and will be pardoned by President Trump and the first lady at the official White House ceremony.
The ceremony also includes light-hearted remarks from the president and serves as a moment of gratitude ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Luxury hotel stay for turkeys
According to The Associated Press, Waddle and Gobble also enjoyed luxury hotel accommodations ahead of their White House visit.
Turkeys Waddle and Gobble, who will receive a Presidential Pardon at the White House ahead of Thanksgiving, enjoy their hotel room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Since Waddle and Gobble will receive presidential pardons, the two birds will be spared from the dinner table.
The two birds, which were raised in North Carolina by a farmer called Travis Pittman, will return to a farm after being officially pardoned and will live out the rest of their lives there.
The turkey pardon is a presidential tradition dating back years, and this year’s will be the 78th National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony in the White House tradition.
Roasted turkey is an integral part of the annual Thanksgiving meal in the US and the custom of pardoning was started in 1947 when the National Turkey Federation gifted a bird to the White House.
Turkeys are seen on a farm in Sylvan Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Though several US presidents, including John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, have spared the turkeys informally, the act of an official “presidential pardon” was formalised as an annual tradition by President George HW Bush in 1989.
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Turkeys Waddle and Gobble, who will receive a Presidential Pardon at the White House ahead of Thanksgiving, enjoy their hotel room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, in Washington, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) 
