“Welcome to a wonderful White House tradition,” declared President of the United States, Joseph Biden Jr. 

On November 25th, 2024, a ceremony was held on the White House South Lawn for the President of the United States to pardon two turkeys, Peach and Blossom, as part of a 77-year-old White House tradition. Around 2,500 people gathered on the South Lawn for the traditional ceremony. President Biden explained that the attendees included, “Members of my cabinet, members of the White House staff and their families. We've got students from 4-H programs and Future Farmers of America.” He joked that all attendees had gathered at the White House, “looking for a pardon.”

The two turkeys were named Peach and Blossom because they are meant to honour President Biden’s home state of Delaware. He said, “The two turkeys are named after the Delaware state flower, the Peach Blossom. And by the way, Delaware has a long history of growing peaches. And the peach blossom flower symbolizes resilience, which is, quite frankly, fitting for today.” 

“Today, Peach and Blossom will join the free birds of the United States of America,” stated President Biden. The two turkeys were raised in Northfield, Minnesota and were specially selected to be pardoned.  

In order to get to the White House, the turkeys had to embark on a journey, from Minnesota to Washington D.C. “That trip is 1,100 miles. It takes 16.5 hours. Through it all, they stayed calm, and they gobbled on and are still gobbling” remarked President Biden. 

President Biden pardoned Peach and Blossom based on their “temperament and commitment to being productive members of society.” 

“I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom,” declared the President. “They will now head back to Farmamerica, Minnesota's center for agricultural interpretation, to serve as educational ambassadors of America's top turkey growing state and inspire the next generation of agricultural students.”  

History Behind the Pardoning

At the Pardoning, President Biden shared a brief history of the tradition. He stated, “This White House tradition began when turkey was presented to President Truman. Then President George H.W. Bush began pardoning turkeys.”

The first Pardoning of the Thanksgiving Turkey dates back to 1863, when Abraham Lincoln was President. He was gifted a turkey, which he decided to save. By 1870, a poultry farmer from Rhode Island named Horace Vose provided the White House with turkeys. When the First Families were given the turkeys, some decided to pardon them. By the year 1914, any citizen could give a turkey to the President. Although the pardoning started with President Lincoln, many people credit Harry S. Truman in 1947 for starting the tradition when he was given turkeys from the National Turkey Federation and Poultry and Egg National Board. In 1981, Ronald Reagan was the first president to hold public ceremonies to pardon the turkeys he received. He also made it tradition to send pardoned turkeys to turkey farms. Before Reagan’s administration, pardoned turkeys were often sent to zoos. The pardoning ceremony became a formal event starting with George H. W. Bush in 1989. 

Irrespective of who started the Pardoning tradition, the Pardoning symbolizes another special moment. President Biden stated, “This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington.” The Pardoning also symbolizes tradition and national unity. 

Inspiring the Nation Through Giving Thanks

Following the pardon, President Biden concluded by saying “It's my last time to speak here as your president during this season and give thanks and gratitude. So, let me say to you: It's been the honor of my life. I'm forever grateful.” 

Biden brought up another important point. “We keep in our hearts those who have lost so much, who will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving dinner table Thursday night.”  

He went on to say, “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 America, the greatest country on Earth.” He stressed how important it is to be thankful on Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving holiday was started by the Pilgrims to celebrate everything they had amidst difficult circumstances.

President Biden concluded, “No matter what, in America, we never give up. We keep going. We keep the faith. We just have to remember who we are. We're the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.”  

The President finished the public ceremony by wishing the families who gathered on the South Lawn a “Happy Thanksgiving everyone! God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.”