Trump pardons Thanksgiving turkeys Waddle and Gobble with pointed remarks

US President Donald Trump formally pardons Gobble the turkey in the Rose Garden at the White House on Tuesday, as First Lady Melania Trump (right) looks on. PIC/GETTY IMAGES

US President Donald Trump didn't bring much holiday cheer on Tuesday when bestowing ceremonial pardons on two Thanksgiving turkeys - Waddle and Gobble from North Carolina - dispensing more insults than goodwill at the traditional White House ritual.

He joked about sending the turkeys to an infamous prison in El Salvador that has been used to house migrants deported from the US. He said the birds should be named ‘Chuck' and ‘Nancy' "after Democratic stalwarts Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi" but "I would never pardon those people". Trump claimed that last year's turkey pardons, issued by President Joe Biden, were invalid because he used an autopen. "Where's Hunter?" he said, suggesting that his predecessor's son could once again face legal jeopardy.

Later, Trump turned his attention to Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, a Democrat who has resisted the White House's plans to deploy the National Guard in Chicago. Trump said he had a joke prepared about Pritzker, but "I refuse to talk about the fact that he's a fat slob. I don't mention it".

The US President eventually got around to the business at hand, which was pardoning the turkeys Gobble and Waddle. Both were spared the dinner table, but only one got the spotlight. "Gobble, I just want to tell you, this is very important: you are hereby unconditionally pardoned," Trump told one of the birds, which responded with loud gobbling sounds.

Trump used part of his ceremonial remarks to insist that the price of Thanksgiving meals was dropping under his leadership, although his numbers are misleading. Some research indicates that holiday dinners could cost more this year, a reminder of persistent frustration with inflation.

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