USA TODAY International Edition
Pair of turkeys win presidential pardon
WASHINGTON – The votes had been counted. There was no “ballot stuffing” or “fowl play,” President Joe Biden said Monday. And for the president, the only “red wave” he thinks will happen on Thanksgiving is if his German shepherd, Commander, knocks over the cranberry sauce.
And the results are in: Chocolate and Chip, the National Thanksgiving Turkey and its alternate, received a pardon.
“Now, based on their temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon,” Biden said before being interrupted by a gobble. “I hereby pardon Chocolate and Chip.”
Biden pardoned the two turkeys in a ceremony Monday on the South Lawn, where Biden briefly pointed out Commander and two of his grandchildren on the balcony of the White House.
Chocolate and Chip, who weigh 46 pounds and 47 pounds, respectively, will go on to reside at North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.