Trump Gets Political at Turkey Pardon

President Trump didn't bring much holiday cheer Tuesday when bestowing ceremonial pardons on two Thanksgiving turkeys, dispensing more insults than goodwill at the traditional White House ritual. He joked about sending the turkeys to an infamous prison in El Salvador that has been used to house migrants deported from the United States, the AP reports. He said the birds should be named Chuck and Nancy—after Democratic stalwarts Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi—but "I would never pardon those people."

• Trump claimed he had declared last year's turkey pardons, issued by Joe Biden, "totally invalid" because he used an autopen. "Where's Hunter?" he said, suggesting that his predecessor's son could once again face legal jeopardy. During the first turkey pardon of his first term, Trump joked about overturning Barack Obama's turkey pardons.

• And all of that was before Trump turned his attention to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat who has resisted the White House's plans to deploy the National Guard in Chicago. Trump said he had a joke prepared about Pritzker, but "I refuse to talk about the fact that he's a fat slob. I don't mention it."
• Newsweek reports that Trump also joked about his own weight, saying, "I'd like to lose a few pounds too, by the way, and I'm not going to lose it on Thanksgiving." He added: "I can tell you that, because I'm going to have a turkey, but it's not going to be that one."
• Trump eventually got around to the business at hand, which was pardoning the turkeys Gobble and Waddle. Both were spared the dinner table, but only one got the spotlight. "Gobble, I just want to tell you this—very important—you are hereby unconditionally pardoned," Trump said. He reached over to run his hand over the feathers, saying, "Who would want to harm this beautiful bird?"
• Waddle had previously been spotted in the White House briefing room. "Waddle, want to give us a gobble?" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asked. The turkey obliged. "Very on message!" Leavitt said.
• Trump used part of his ceremonial remarks to insist that the price of Thanksgiving meals was dropping under his leadership, although his numbers are misleading, the AP notes. Some research indicates that holiday dinners could cost more this year, a reminder of persistent frustration with inflation.
• Both pardoned birds will be sent to North Carolina State University's Prestage Department of Poultry Science, NBC News reports.
• The Hill notes that Trump's latest turkey pardon was in 2020, during the pandemic, with social distancing measures in place. In one of his first public appearances since the election earlier that month, he didn't address his defeat but praised progress with vaccines.