Donald Trump carried out the traditional Thanksgiving turkey pardon while delivering one of his signature speeches – full of both praise and plenty of jabs at his political opponents.
He appeared at the event with First Lady Melania Trump, and a professional lip reader later picked up on an unusual remark he made.
As usual, Trump attracted headlines on Tuesday while stepping up to the podium for the annual turkey pardoning, a Thanksgiving tradition with roots dating back to Abraham Lincoln. Although Lincoln began the practice of sparing turkeys, it was President George H.W. Bush who turned it into the yearly ritual we see today, starting in 1989.
This year, Trump pardoned turkeys Gobble and Wade, who had already experienced a taste of luxury before their White House visit. According to Jaap Boelens, hotel manager at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., the turkeys spent Monday night in a $400-a-night suite.
“Our special guests arrived with a red carpet welcome and settled in quickly,” Boelens told WAGM. “I checked on them this morning and even did a credit check,” he joked. “The mini bar was raided, which is completely fine.”
During his speech, Trump quickly moved to criticize his political rivals. He mentioned that when he first saw the turkeys, he considered naming them Chuck and Nancy, a clear dig at Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
“But then I realized I wouldn’t be pardo:ning them. I would never pardo:n those two,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t do so “no matter what Melania told me.”
Instead of ending up on a Thanksgiving plate, Gobble and Wade will retire at North Carolina State University’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science in Raleigh. Trump also claimed that U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had certified the birds as “first-era MAHA turkeys,” referencing his slogan “Make America Healthy Again.”
“They may be plump, but they are still MAHA,” Trump said.
“They’ve eaten every fattening food imaginable. We wanted them to be special.”
The president also appeared to make a curious comment to Melania during the ceremony. Lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Express that as the First Lady stepped back while descending the stairs, Trump said, “I’m happy to go after you.”
While observing the turkeys, he continued speaking to Melania, clearly taken aback by their appearance. “Wow! Okay, okay, look at that… so that’s not abnormal? … It’s normal then? How big do they get? It looks like a rather violent bird,” he remarked.
