WASHINGTON — As we get closer to the Thanksgiving holiday, turkey is on everyone’s mind. But, in our nation’s capital, they’re thinking about pardoning turkeys, not eating them.
Earlier today, the White House celebrated the 78th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation in the White House’s Rose Garden Club, where the President and First Lady pardoned the official Thanksgiving turkey of 2025.
“Standing at the White House with President Trump to represent America’s turkey industry is truly an honor,” Jay Jardin, National Turkey Federation chairman and CEO of Butterball LLC, said in a release. “From farmers like the Pittman family who raise the birds, to the processors and everyone else who plays a part to get turkeys to tables, this industry runs on people who care deeply about what they do.”
“We’re extremely proud to feed families across the country and around the world,” Jardin added. “Today celebrates that mission, but it’s the dedication shown every day of the year that really matters.”
This year’s turkey, Gobble, and his alternate, Waddle, are originally from Kenly, N.C., where they were raised by Travis and Amanda Pittman, Butterball contract growers, NTF noted. The Pittman family worked hard to prepare the turkeys for their debut, ensuring their comfort with crowds and cameras. The turkeys weigh 52 and 50 pounds, respectively.
Leading up to the ceremony, the duo stayed at the Willard InterContinental Hotel and will now live out their days at North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Raleigh, N.C. They will live in custom, climate-controlled quarters, cared for by the dedicated CALS poultry specialists and students, the school said.
This isn’t the first time that the university will act as the new home for pardoned turkeys. In 2022, NC State became the home for Chocolate and Chip after their pardoning, NC State CALS added.
In addition to living at NC State, Gobble and Waddle will also be educational ambassadors for the school and the state’s poultry industry at events like the State Fair.
Gobble and Waddle are the latest in a long line of presented and pardoned turkeys. The tradition began in 1947 when President Harry Truman was gifted a live turkey from the NTF. However, it wasn’t until 1989 that selected turkeys were officially pardoned from the Thanksgiving table each year.
According to NTF, it was on the 200th anniversary of President George Washington’s Proclamation of a Day of Thanksgiving, and President George H. W. Bush assured the crowd that the presented turkey wouldn’t become anyone’s dinner, granting the bird an official presidential pardon.
Since then, every president has pardoned a turkey ahead of Thanksgiving Day. Including today’s event, the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation has taken place across 15 successive administrations, the NTF added.
