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Gobble and Waddle are set to be pardoned as part of the annual holiday tradition
Kelly Rissmanin New YorkTuesday 25 November 2025 13:40 GMTComments
CloseTurkeys 'Gobble' and 'Waddle' get VIP treatment at luxury hotel ahead of White House Thanksgiving pardon
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President Donald Trump will grant official pardons to a pair of turkeys Tuesday afternoon, kicking off the holiday season.
The 78th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation will take place at noon ET at the White House.
Only one turkey — Waddle or Gobble — will receive this year’s ceremonial pardon, but both will be spared.
First Lady Melania Trump’s official account posted a poll asking Americans to vote on which turkey should be granted clemency.
“Tomorrow’s @WhiteHouse Turkey Pardon Ceremony with @POTUS and @FLOTUS is now scheduled for 12PM ET. Remember to vote by texting GOBBLE or WADDLE to 45470!”
The four-month-old turkeys were given their names last week after X users responded to another poll from the Office of the First Lady’s account.
Although the ceremony has spanned decades, starting when President Harry S. Truman was presented a turkey in 1947, John F. Kennedy was the first president to technically grant clemency to a turkey in 1963.
It wasn’t until 1989, when George H.W. Bush said he gave a bird a “presidential pardon,” that the tradition finally stuck.
Key Points
- Two turkeys to be granted clemency
- Meet Gobble and Waddle, the two presidential turkeys
Pentagon threatens to court martial Sen. Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video that sparked Trump and MAGA fury
The Department of Defense is performing a “thorough review” of “serious allegations of misconduct” against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a naval veteran and astronaut who joined members of Congress to urge service members to honor their oath to the Constitution.
Kelly and several other lawmakers with military backgrounds issued a video statement last week telling troops they “can and must refuse illegal orders,” emphasizing that threats to constitutional order can emerge “from right here at home.”
President Donald Trump labeled the Democratic officials “traitors” who “SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW” as he raged against them in a series of Truth Social statements in the days that followed. “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!,” he wrote.
Alex Woodward has the story.
Pentagon investigating Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video that sparked Trump fury
Navy veteran faces ‘serious allegations of misconduct’ over statement that prompted Trump to call for his imprisonmentKelly Rissman25 November 2025 13:40Mark Kelly discusses Pentagon probe: 'I'm not going to be silenced'
Senator Mark Kelly spoke out about the Department of Defense’s “review,” defending his and other lawmakers’ video message as “non-controversial.”
“I said something that was pretty simple and non-controversial, and that was that members of the military should follow the law,” he told MS NOW host Rachel Maddow Monday night.
“And in response to that, Donald Trump said I should be executed. I should be hanged. I should be prosecuted. He even went on and said something about, ‘go get them,’ I guess sending a mob to round me and the other folks up. So this is -- I think it says a lot more about him than it says about me. He doesn't want accountability.”
The Democratic Senator continued: “But, Rachel, I'm not going to be silenced. I'm not going to be intimidated.”
Kelly Rissman25 November 2025 13:30Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle defend Senator Mark Kelly amid Pentagon 'review'
Bipartisan lawmakers have slammed the Pentagon’s decision to conduct a “thorough review” of “serious allegations of misconduct” against Senator Mark Kelly.
“F*** you and your investigation,” fellow Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego wrote on X in response to the Department of Defense’s announcement.
Nebraska Republican Don Bacon similarly remarked: “Amateur hour once again at the Department of Dense. I thought the video by six Dems was unnecessary and foolish. But the threats of sedition charges and courts martial in response are also crazy. Let’s show some common sense and restraint.”
Colorado Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, one of the lawmakers in the video, posted: “You can’t bully a patriot. I stand with @SenMarkKelly. This is a decisive moment.”
“Trump is trying to incite violence, intimidate, and punish those who speak up to hold him accountable. But the only thing we fear is not rising to this moment and defending the country we love. Nothing will stop us from upholding our oath and defending the Constitution,” Crow continued.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2025 13:20'Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing,' Hegseth says of lawmakers who posted video about military orders
On Monday, the Department of Defense said it’s performing a “thorough review” of “serious allegations of misconduct” against Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly and several other lawmakers with military backgrounds issued a video last week telling troops they “can and must refuse illegal orders.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday morning called the video that Kelly and others posted as a “politically-motivated influence operation.”
“In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion. The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth said.
“As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing — sowing doubt through a politically-motivated influence operation. The @DeptofWar won’t fall for it or stand for it,” he wrote.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2025 13:14WATCH: Turkeys 'Gobble' and 'Waddle' get VIP treatment at luxury hotel ahead of White House Thanksgiving pardon
Turkeys 'Gobble' and 'Waddle' get VIP treatment at luxury hotel ahead of White House Thanksgiving pardonKelly Rissman25 November 2025 13:10Meet Gobble and Waddle
Kelly Rissman25 November 2025 13:08Two turkeys to be granted clemency
A pair of turkeys are set to be pardoned by President Donald Trump Tuesday afternoon, marking the 78th annual holiday tradition.
Either Waddle or Gobble — the two turkeys — will participate in the ceremony, but both will be spared, according to the Office of the First Lady.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2025 13:06More about
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