Moment Joe Biden pardons Thanksgiving turkeys named Peanut Butter and Jelly
Two lucky turkeys – one named named Peanut Butter and the other named Jelly –will trot away from Thanksgiving this year unscathed. The fine feathered friends were selected as National Thanksgiving Turkeys and pardoned by President Joe Biden.
‘It’s important to continue traditions like this to remind us how, from darkness, there’s light and hope and progress – and in my view, that’s what this year’s Thanksgiving represents,’ Biden said on Friday afternoon during the 74th annual Turkey Pardoning in the White House Rose Garden.
‘So many of us will be gathering with our loved ones for the first time in a long time, and will be reconnecting with traditions with our tables and our hearts full of grace and gratitude for everyone who made it possible’
Biden then thanked frontline workers, faith leaders, farmers and others who put their lives on the line during the coronavirus pandemic.
‘By the power vested in me as President of the United States, I pardon you,’ Biden said while petting Peanut Butter.
‘Go ahead now say something,’ he quietly joked before the turkey began loudly gobbling.
The president couldn’t have gone through the ceremony without cracking a joke about the two birds’ vaccination status. When going over why Peanut Butter and Jelly were selected, he said it was because of their ‘temperament and appearance – and I suspect their vaccination status’.
‘Instead of getting basted, these turkeys are getting boosted,’ Biden joked.
The two 40-pound turkeys hailing from Farbest Farms in Jasper, Indiana will be spared, according to the National Turkey Federation.
Andrea Welp of Farbest Farms said during a press conference on Thursday that raising the turkeys for presidential pardon was ‘a lot of fun’.
‘With another year of uncertainties with the pandemic, this project has really been something to look forward to,’ Welp said.
Following their pardon, Peanut Butter and Jelly will live out the rest of their days at Purdue University’s Animal Science Research and Education Center.
The birds will be given their own enclosure with access to a shady, grassy area, and will be used as an educational tool for students, Purdue University stated.
After flocking to Washington, DC, earlier this week, Peanut Butter and Jelly stayed at the luxe Willard Hotel, as per tradition.
This is Biden’s first turkey pardoning as president. The tradition has unclear origins, but is rumored to date back to President Abraham Lincoln, whose son Tad begged him to let their Christmas dinner fly free.
During his first pardoning, Biden credited the tradition to George HW Bush.
Many presidents have previously partaken in photo-ops with turkeys, but not every year.
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