Advertisement
Advertisement
Joe Biden
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
US President Joe Biden pardons Chocolate, the national Thanksgiving turkey, at the White House on Monday. He is joined by Ronald Parker, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, and Alexa Starnes, daughter of the owner of Circle S Ranch. Photo: AP

No ‘fowl play’, no ‘ballot stuffing’, Joe Biden jokes at Thanksgiving turkey pardon

  • The ‘only red wave this season’ would be if White House dog Commander knocked over the cranberry sauce, the president said in reference to the midterm results
  • Biden also subtly likened the birds, Chocolate and Chip, to potential challengers in the coming 2024 election
Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden made lighthearted references to Democrats’ success in the midterm elections as he pardoned two turkeys, Chocolate and Chip, in what has become a quirky Thanksgiving tradition under presidents of both parties.

“The votes are in, they’ve been counted, verified. There’s no ballot stuffing, there’s no ‘fowl’ play,” Biden joked Monday during the ceremony on the White House’s South Lawn. He added the “only red wave this season” would be if his German shepherd, Commander, knocked over the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner.

Biden’s remarks were repeatedly interrupted by the turkeys gobbling and Commander’s barking. The president also subtly likened the turkeys to potential presidential challengers two years from now.

“They interacted with the children to show their softer side,” he said. “Sounds like another flock hoping to come to Washington in 2024.”

The turkey pardoning tradition has a hotly debated origin. Some say Abraham Lincoln was the first to grant clemency to a turkey, while others give credit to Harry Truman for beginning the tradition.

Past presidents, including Ronald Reagan, endured memorable press conferences when the turkeys attempted to fly away. It became an annual event under President George H.W. Bush in 1989.

This year’s birds were reared near Monroe, North Carolina.

The pardoning comes after November midterms where Biden’s Democrats performed better than expected amid voter anxiety about soaring inflation.

Fox host Hannity suggests Trump pardon himself and family

Thanksgiving dinners in the US will cost 20 per cent more this year than last year, according to the Farm Bureau.

The average cost of the traditional feast for 10 is US$64.05, according to the survey, up from last year’s average of US$53.31. The Farm Bureau dinner includes prices for turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk.

Later Monday, the president and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Cherry Point, North Carolina, to share a “Friendsgiving” dinner with service members and their families.

Biden at the pardoning, said chocolate is his favourite ice cream flavour, but joked the birds could have been named “Chips and Science”, a reference to a law he signed in August to boost domestic manufacturing of semiconductors.

2