VIP Treatment for America’s Luckiest Turkeys Before Pardon Day

Two turkeys named Gobble and Waddle received VIP treatment in Washington, D.C., staying at the historic Willard Hotel ahead of the annual White House Thanksgiving pardon.

The birds arrived from North Carolina before President Donald Trump officially spares them during the holiday ceremony, continuing a tradition that formally began in 1989 under President George H.W. Bush.

While the idea of pardoning turkeys stretches back generations—made famous by a story of Abraham Lincoln’s son Tad pleading to save a bird—the modern ritual has become a beloved part of American Thanksgiving.

Each year, two turkeys are chosen, named, celebrated, and ultimately sent to farms where they live protected lives, turning a lighthearted moment into a lasting tradition rooted in history.