Peach and Blossom are freed as Biden pardons turkeys for last time

WASHINGTON — Peach and Blossom, a pair of fluffy, white American turkeys, were “pardoned” Monday by President Joe Biden as he participated in the White House’s most offbeat tradition for the final time.

Any worries about the fowls’ collective fate were relieved late in the morning when Biden, in a tongue-in-cheek ceremony on a sun-drenched South Lawn before what he estimated was a crowd of 2,500 onlookers, used his office’s clemency powers to keep the birds off some American family’s Thanksgiving dinner table. Biden joked that they all had shown up “looking for a pardon.”

But the pardoner in chief soon got down to business, noting that Peach had lived by a motto of “keep calm and gobble on.” Blossom’s guiding creed, the president said, was “no fowl play.” (Author’s note: What may read like a misspelling is anything but, in keeping with the spirit of the not-so-serious and rather surreal ceremony.)

“Based upon your temperament and for being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom,” said Biden, who will leave office on Jan. 20. With those words, the lame-duck president kept alive a longtime tradition, easily the strangest thing the White House occupant does all year.

Biden used the event to continue saying goodbye to the country, telling the audience that being president had been “the honor of my life” and that he would be “forever grateful” for holding the country’s top office.

But it was Peach, perched on a table with fall foliage and a “Happy Thanksgiving” banner, who stole the show.

As Biden, in his signature aviator sunglasses, spoke from behind his familiar blue lectern with the seal of his office, the 41-pound Peach gobbled throughout the address but was more entertaining than disruptive. The unique sound prompted chuckles from Biden, who quipped at one point: “Peach is making a last-minute plea here.”

Peach and Blossom, who weighed in at 40 pounds, came into the world on July 18 when they hatched on a Northfield, Minn., farm owned by John Zimmerman, chairman of the National Turkey Federation.

The birds are slated to spend their remaining days at Farmamerica, an agricultural center in Waseca, Minn., where visitors can interact with and learn more about agriculture.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, was on hand Monday on the South Lawn. His attendance prompted Biden to say that while Blossom opposed “’fowl’ play,” he preferred “Minnesota nice,” referring to a stereotype about the politeness of state residents. (Harris, who has been out of public view in Hawaii for nearly a week since losing the election to former President Donald Trump, is slated to depart for her California home later Monday.)

While Biden did not directly mention the Harris-Walz campaign’s loss to Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, he did try giving the audience of invited supporters a brief pep talk.

“We keep going,” he said. “We keep the faith.”

Some lightheartedness before the holiday

The yearly event allows official Washington to poke fun at the Office of the President’s clemency powers. A president and his staff typically spend a few weeks writing jokes that allow the chief executive to be self-deprecating, while also delivering quips about his West Wing aides, political allies and foes, as well as a favorite bipartisan target: the press corps.

Just like the event itself, the birds’ names are meant to be more than a little tongue-in-cheek. Previous monikers have included Peanut Butter, Jelly, Wishbone, Drumstick, Tater, Tot, Abe, Honest, Cheese, Mac, Popcorn, Caramel — and last year’s lucky recipients, Liberty and Bell.

Unlike grey-brown wild turkeys (scientific name: meleagris gallopavo) who have life expectancies of nearly a decade, white-featured domesticated turkeys (or meleagris gallopavo domesticus) hatch in the spring and are in stores in time for Thanksgiving. They have a life expectancy of between one and two years, according to the National Turkey Federation.

The presidential connection to turkeys dates back to as early as 1873, when Ulysses S. Grant received a turkey from Rhode Island “Poultry King” Horace Vose. Other presidents have received winged gifts from chambers of commerce, fan clubs and turkey farmers from across the country.

Turkeys arrived at the White House occasionally throughout the 1920s in crates lavishly decorated and modeled like the White House and a battleship. In 1921, a turkey arrived “wearing an aviation helmet and goggles and clad in a black and gold sweater held on by a pink bow,” according to the White House Historical Association.

The first poultry industry presentation of a turkey took place in 1947 when Harry Truman was president. The following year, Truman accepted two birds in December, saying they would “come in handy” for Christmas dinner.

There were several instances of turkey reprieves in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until the presidency of George H.W. Bush that the pardoning practice became an annual tradition.

A few days before Biden delivered the typically corny joke set, his top spokesperson told reporters that Americans would celebrate the uniquely American holiday with more cash in their wallets.

“For the second year in a row, the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal is falling and many grocery chains are offering deals for the holiday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Nov. 21. “According to the American Farm Bureau, the average price of the typical Thanksgiving dinner fell 5 percent, with turkey prices down 6 percent.”

Voters, however, cited still-high prices as one of their top concerns throughout the recent campaign cycle.