In a brief ceremony that mixed traditional holiday wishes with predictable humor, President Trump “pardoned” a 36-pound white-feathered tom turkey, Drumstick, from becoming a White House meal. The custom of donating a Thanksgiving turkey to the White House began 70 years ago, during the Truman administration, when the poultry industry wanted to encourage meat consumption in the post-war era. Sparing the bird “remained a sporadic tradition” for years, according to the White House Historical Society, but by the Reagan years, it had become the norm to send the celebrity turkey to a farm rather than the White House kitchen.
Trump included a civic message in his remarks, appealing for national unity: “This Thursday, as we give thanks for our cherished loved ones, let us also renew our bonds of trust, loyalty, and affection between our fellow citizens as members of a proud national family of Americans.”
“Oh, Drumstick, I think, is going to be very happy,” said the president during the ceremony in the White House garden. He cited the first formal turkey presentation in 1947 to President Harry Truman, “who did not give the pardon. He was a tough cookie,” said Trump. “Today, I am going to be a nicer president.”
Drumstick and a companion, Wishbone, will be sent to “Gobbler’s Rest” at Virginia Tech. Two other turkeys donated by the poultry industry will be sent to Martha’s Table, a Washington charity.
To watch a White House video of the turkey “pardoning,” click here.
For the White House Historical Society account of poultry presents to presidents, beginning in the 1870s, and the recent tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey, click here.