President Joe Biden tapped into his presidential pardon power in the waning days of his tenure Monday, granting clemency to a pair of lucky turkeys and kicking off the holiday season.
“Based on their temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom,” Biden said in a ceremony on the White House South Lawn.
Weighing in at 41 and 40 pounds, respectively, “Peach” and “Blossom” were hatched in Minnesota and rode the gravy train to Washington over the weekend. They spent their young lives training for their pardon, getting acclimated to loud sounds, big crowds and bright lights.
Still, Peach ruffled some feathers and let out a few errant squawks, interrupting the president, who implored the birds to “keep calm and gobble on.”
Biden later struck a more serious tone at his fourth and final turkey pardon, reflecting on his more than half-century of public service.
“It’s also my last time to speak here as your president during the season and give thanks and gratitude. Let me say to you: It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” he told a crowd of Cabinet members, staff and local students.
He continued, “May we use this moment to take time from our busy lives and focus on what matters most: our families … our friends, and our neighbors, and the fact that we are blessed to live in the United States of America, the greatest country on earth.”
The president and first lady will travel to the New York area later Monday for a “friendsgiving” dinner with troops and are expected to spend the holiday with family on Nantucket.
And now, spared from the Thanksgiving table, Peach and Blossom will soon retire to Minnesota’s Farmamerica, a learning center, where they will be poultry ambassadors for agricultural students.