President Trump delivered the 78th annual Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony on Tuesday, using the moment to make a series of jokes aimed at Democratic leaders and to highlight the accomplishments of his administration, as reported [1] by the Gateway Pundit.
The President pardoned [2] two turkeys named Gobble and Waddle, calling them “record-setting” birds and noting their unusual size.
As the ceremony began, Trump joked that Waddle was “missing in action” and said Gobble “looks like a rather violent bird.” When he officially granted the pardon, the bird responded with a loud gobble that drew laughter from the crowd.
During his remarks, Trump continued the long-standing tradition of delivering lighthearted jokes but added pointed comments toward his political opponents.
He referenced Joe Biden’s Thanksgiving pardons from the previous year, saying those pardons were invalid. “But they’re hereby null and void,” Trump said.
BREAKING: In a hilarious moment, President Trump declares last year’s Biden turkey pardons NULL and VOID
The turkeys were about to be “processed” but Trump has SAVED them!
Everyone is cracking up
“He used an auto pen last year for the turkeys’ pardon. So I have the… pic.twitter.com/NnVeZj8Fpq [3]
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 25, 2025 [4]
“The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed. In other words, to be killed! But I have stopped that journey, and I am officially pardoning them. And they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time.”
Trump then turned his attention to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy. But then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them,” he said.
He added, “I would never pardon those two people. I wouldn’t pardon them. I wouldn’t care what Melania told me, ‘Darling, I think it would be a nice thing to do,’ I won’t do it, darling!”
President Trump is ending the careers of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi at the annual turkey pardoning
“The turkeys being pardoned today go by the names Gobble and Waddle. When I first saw their pictures, I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I would… pic.twitter.com/DJtrJSu2XN [5]
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 25, 2025 [6]
The President described Gobble and Waddle as “MAHA” turkeys — a reference to his political branding — and noted their weight of more than 50 pounds each.
“These are two of the largest turkeys ever presented to an American president, over 50 pounds each. That’s the largest we’ve ever had,” Trump said.
He asked the handlers whether the oversized birds were “as good as the normal-sized turkey” and whether they tended to be “a little fatty.” The handler responded no.
Trump also recognized several individuals involved in preparing the birds for the ceremony, including National Turkey Federation Chairman Jay Jandrain, his wife Leslie, their children, and Travis Pittman, the farmer who raised Gobble and Waddle in Wayne County, North Carolina.
“I won Wayne County by a lot,” Trump said. “I think I won by 92%. I like Wayne County. They’re doing all right, right?”
The President said the birds were fed a range of foods leading up to the ceremony. “They’ve been fattened on a steady diet of grass, beef, to allow the smoothies and all of the other things that they’ve been eating for this occasion,” he said.
He added that the event was significant and that the birds had been prepared accordingly. “They’ve eaten every fattening food that you can eat. We wanted to really make them special, and they really are.”
Trump closed by asking whether the birds might become aggressive. “Are they violent at all? Will they attack as I walk over? Because if they were, I’ll stay right up here.”