President Joe Biden stroked a pair of happy birds during a national Thanksgiving turkey presentation on Monday. Pure Liberty and Bell headed to the White House to receive their official Thanksgiving pardons from Biden, who called it a “wonderful” tradition.
In the ceremony on the South Lawn, Biden spoke from a podium decorated with pumpkins and fall leaves, saying “this is their day” for the two birds, who were raised in Willmar, Minnesota.
Biden also acknowledged his celebration on Monday, saying, “Today is my birthday” and jokingly adding, “It’s hard to turn 60.” (The president turned 81 and often acknowledged criticism of his age.)
Joe Biden turned 81, setting a new record as the oldest president in US history
Joe Biden pardons turkeys for National Thanksgiving.
Win McNamee/Getty
“This is the 76th anniversary of this event,” he said of the pardon ceremony. “I want you to know I wasn’t there for the first one. I was too young to make up for it.”
As for the turkeys being honored, Biden said Liberty and Bell “love Honeycrisp apples, ice hockey” and the Mall of America, adding, “I’d sure love to see them play ice hockey.”
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Win McNamee/Getty
As is tradition, the two turkeys spent the night before the ceremony at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, arriving on the red carpet before being escorted to their rooms.
The president also joked about the significant odds the two birds had of being pardoned, saying being selected for the ceremony was harder than “getting tickets to the Renaissance tour.”
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President Joe Biden speaks during the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty
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The history of turkey pardons dates back to 1863 and President Abraham Lincoln, according to White House history, although it was not a formal tradition at the time, and would not become so until much later.
Two years ago, Biden petted his first pair of turkeys — two birds named Peanut Butter and Jelly that weighed 40 lbs. each. Last year he petted the Chocolate and Chip turkeys.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education