The thing is, if I was president, dumb stuff like “presidential pardons for turkeys” would be my favorite part of the job. It’s a chance for a president to shake off the dry, serious, life-or-death side of the job and show some whimsy, humor and lightness. Obviously, Donald Trump is incapable. You can tell that he’s miserable whenever they make him do a lighter holiday event, like Thanksgiving turkey pardons or giving out Halloween candy (he hates that) or the White House Easter egg hunt (he loathes that as well).
Well, this year, Trump pardoned two North Carolina turkeys, Gobble and Waddle. Do you think staffers giggled to themselves at having a turkey named Waddle given Trump’s “waddle,” aka his neck-vagine? Trump was absolutely ridiculous in what should have been the best part of his day. I think he’s actually afraid of turkeys, or maybe he’s just afraid of all animals, especially given that blonde ferret residing atop his head. Trump’s staff clearly tried to give him some political jokes and he bungled them, because no one wants to hear him make cracks about Hunter Biden at the g–damn turkey pardon!
“After a thorough and very rigorous investigation … into a terrible situation caused by a man named Sleepy Joe Biden, he used an autopen last year for the turkey’s pardon,” Trump said, citing Attorney General Pam Bondi, the FBI, the CIA and the “Department of Everything,” which he clarified was a reference to the White House.
“So, I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined, that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid,” the president continued. “As are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned other than, uh, where’s Hunter?” Trump said, referring to his predecessor’s son. “No, Hunter’s was good.”
The president added that last year’s pardoned turkeys, Peach and Blossom, “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.”
After he praised his second administration’s accomplishments in its first 10 months, Trump said that when he first saw a photo of Gobble and Waddle, “I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy,” referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“But then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them,” he said. “I would never pardon those two people.”
Trump walked over to the 50-pound bird and said, “Gobble, I just want to tell you, this is very important: You are hereby unconditionally pardoned.”
“Gobble, I just want to tell you, this is very important.” I genuinely wish those were his last words. What an epitaph that would have been. Apparently, Trump also took a moment in his turkey-pardon speech to call Gov. JB Pritzker a “fat slob.” He also fat-shamed Gobble, which explains why Waddle was MIA. Anyway, another f–king terrible day in America.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Getty.
- Washington, DIST United States President Donald J Trump (C) speaks before pardoning a turkey named Gobble in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 25 November 2025. The annual White House tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey dates back to 1989, when President George H.W. Bush pardoned a turkey in the Rose Garden. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 25 NOVEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- Washington, DIST United States President Donald J Trump (C) speaks before pardoning a turkey named Gobble in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 25 November 2025. The annual White House tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey dates back to 1989, when President George H.W. Bush pardoned a turkey in the Rose Garden. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 25 NOVEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- Washington, DIST United States President Donald J Trump (C) speaks before pardoning a turkey named Gobble in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 25 November 2025. The annual White House tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey dates back to 1989, when President George H.W. Bush pardoned a turkey in the Rose Garden. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 25 NOVEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- Washington, DIST United States President Donald J Trump (C) speaks before pardoning a turkey named Gobble in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 25 November 2025. The annual White House tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey dates back to 1989, when President George H.W. Bush pardoned a turkey in the Rose Garden. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 25 NOVEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
















Turkeys can be quite aggressive. This was Gobble’s big chance to put us all out of our misery and s/he totally failed to meet the moment. 🦃☹️
I wish he’d fluttered his feathers, like that eagle did when it was videoed on Felon’s desk, and literally scared the crap out of him. Now THAT I would’ve watched. Over and over, Gobble, my bird, ya blew your 15 min. of fame! lol
Gobble could have been a hero for the ages. School children would have written patriotic poems about “The Turkey Who Did His Duty and Never Shirked”.
Cheetolini is ALWAYS a tacky orange mess.
Trump never fails to be tacky and pathetic, but I also wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d arranged a public execution in front of children because kindness to animals = woke.
Imagine what it’s like to be this way — every waking moment is spent HATING other people. Just eaten alive with bile and resentment. Insult after insult after insult. How does he stand it?
Well, to be fair, he does spend the majority of his time sitting……..
I’ve never understood this tradition. A pardon usually means forgiveness or protection from legal pursuit due to criminal actions. (Biden’s pardons were a clear departure to this rule based purely on the attacks, threats, promises and actions of the incoming administration).
The only thing the turkey has done was be a turkey. So the turkey is being pardoned from the sin of being himself? But other turkeys haven’t been pardoned and are therefore being met with the death penalty?
Im not trying to be funny or trite. I genuinely have never understood this.
Not only do i not understand it, it turns the real act of mercy into a joke.
Why not pardon real people instead?
History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon – https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/a13814273/presidential-turkey-pardon/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_toc_md_pmx_hybd_mix_us_17942344289&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17942380478&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1LqCyOSQkQMVrhutBh0zhgNUEAAYASAAEgKMXvD_BwE
None of which explains why Melamia appears so ecstatic – bomber jacket military cosplay? destruction of WH East Wing? destruction of Rose Garden?
Comedians are, for the most part, highly intelligent. Trump is not. Therefore he cannot be funny.
He ruins everything.
He really does.
This was the most disgusting thing Trump said at the pardon event:
“Instead of pardoning, some of my more enthusiastic staffers were already drafting the paperwork to ship Gobble and Waddle straight to the terrorist confinement centre in El Salvador. And even those birds don’t want to be there. You know what I mean.”
Haha, so funny … sending turkeys to the place where immigrants are locked away to die. … He’s a monster.
He has absolutely no compassion or empathy. It’s horrible.
‘Waddle’ is trump’s walk, ‘wattle’ is what’s under his chin.
I’m horrified yet again at what he said at something that should be innocuous & lighthearted. 🤦♀️
Has anyone read Red White and Royal Blue? There’s a great scene with the turkeys in it and I only think of that book now every thanksgiving.
I don’t trust him to the extent that I think it’s very possible he killed them anyway, just for fun.