Overview
- Gobble received the Rose Garden pardon while Waddle was absent; both birds were granted clemency and are headed to NC State’s Prestage Department for lifelong care.
- The turkeys’ names were chosen by a public poll run by the Office of the First Lady, and the birds lodged at the Willard InterContinental before the event.
- The president mixed jokes with partisan attacks, including barbs at Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, in remarks that strayed from the light-hearted script.
- Trump said he was re-pardoning last year’s Peach and Blossom after asserting Biden used an autopen, a claim reported as unverified by outlets covering the ceremony.
- Gobble weighs about 52 pounds and Waddle about 50, and both were raised in North Carolina and presented by the National Turkey Federation.