Donald Trump found a way to shift a long-standing White House tradition in a direction no one saw coming.
On Nov. 25, the “president of peace” spared two turkeys from ending up on Thanksgiving plates with a symbolic pardoning ceremony. Former President George H.W. Bush began the annual tradition in 1989. Social media turned the event into a spectacle after viewing clips of Trump bizarrely mocking the bird’s cries in front of cameras.
In his speech, he detoured from solely focusing on the act to instead punch down at his political foes.
Trump began, “The turkeys being pardoned today go by the names Gobble and Waddle. When I first saw their pictures, I thought we should send them, well — I shouldn’t say this — I was going to call them Chuck [Schumer] and Nancy [Pelosi].”
The Senate minority leader and former House speaker are among Trump’s growing list of adversaries who have been critical of his policies and lack of presidential decorum. He continued, “But then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them; I would never pardon those two people,” even finding a way to drag his wife, Melania Trump, into his rant.
“I wouldn’t care what Melania told me. ‘Darling, I think it would be a nice thing to do.’ I wouldn’t do it, darling,” said the Republican leader. The turkey pardons are among the few non-political White House traditions that presidents, regardless of party affiliation, participate in.
Trump’s refusal to table bipartisan differences ignited frustration among social media users who have grown tired of his volatile rhetoric. Threads users unleashed a litany of unflattering reactions to his singling out Schumer and Pelosi. According to one person, “Only he can turn a cutesy little tradition into a chance to be cruel and hateful.”
BREAKING: In a disgraceful moment, Trump joked that he wanted to name the Thanksgiving turkeys to be pardoned “Chuck and Nancy,” but said he’d never pardon them. And yet, he can’t say if he’d pardon Ghislaine Maxwell.
And that’s no joke.pic.twitter.com/PZ7QbpQBTF
— Really American (@ReallyAmerican1) November 25, 2025
A second person was shocked by the detour, “Wow!!! I didn’t expect that.”. A third disapproving user wrote, “This man is thoroughly insane now! What? He just can’t control his evil thoughts, he’s losing total control of his mind. It’s not funny any more.”
A fourth person fixated on the first lady when they typed, “I guarantee Melania doesn’t call him, darling.”
Another user doubted that Trump slighting his wife’s opinion will fare well. That person wrote, “He just got cut off again. Stupid fool maybe he should phone Stormie,” dredging up his past affair with Hollywood entertainer Stormy Daniels.
Melania stood by Trump’s side during the pardoning regardless of how she felt about his comments. During the awkward moment, he bizarrely mocked Gobble’s calls — Waddle did not make the ceremony but still received a full “pardon” — and waved his hands at the bird.
Video captured Trump addressing the turkey directly: “Gobble, I just want to tell you, this is very important — you are hereby unconditionally pardoned,” only for the bird to interrupt with a bird call that Trump instantly echoed.
“They have the same neck,” said one person who zoomed in on the footage.
“Gobble, I just want to tell you, it’s very important — you are hereby, unconditionally pardoned.”
President Trump participated in the annual turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House. https://t.co/1Ms10R0R3N pic.twitter.com/rY5UgfkYur
— ABC News (@ABC) November 25, 2025
However, the two political figures and Melania were not the only people that Trump targeted during what should have been a lighthearted moment. He also took a swipe at former President Joe Biden.
Trump seemingly detests the 83-year-old more than any other past commander in chief. In fact, his mission to undermine Biden’s presidential legacy includes honoring him with an autopen photograph on the Presidential Walk of Fame, a West Wing corridor lined with portraits of presidents.
In his remarks, Trump claimed that a “rigorous investigation” uncovered that “Sleepy Joe” used the “autopen last year for the turkeys’ pardon. … I have determined that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid.”
NEW: President Trump jokes that last year’s turkey pardons were “null and void” because former President Biden used an autopen:
“I have determined that last year’s Turkey pardons are totally invalid. As are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned other than…… pic.twitter.com/mE9y5jIzCb
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 25, 2025
He went on to joke that the Biden turkeys Peach and Blossom “were on their way to be processed… But I have stopped that journey, and I am officially pardoning them. They will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time.”
Those who attended the ceremony laughed at his scoffing, but online his remarks only reminded critics of “what a childish man he is.”
Barack Obama’s former vice president upset Trump’s 2020 re-election bid. The infamous defeat resulted in the Jan. 6 insurrection, which led to the businessman’s second impeachment in 2021; the first, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, occurred during his presidency in 2019.
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