President Donald Trump pardoned two giant white-plumed turkeys on Tuesday, sparing Gobble and Waddle from Thanksgiving dinner tables in a Rose Garden ceremony that's become one of Washington's more delightfully absurd annual traditions. The turkey clemency ritual was formalized under President George H.W. Bush in 1989, though the practice of presenting turkeys to presidents dates back to the 1940s.

The Birds Get Their Moment

Waddle and Gobble—names chosen through an online public vote—were supposed to be the stars of the show, though only Gobble actually made it to the podium during Trump's speech. "See how happy he is," Trump said as Gobble flapped enthusiastically for the cameras. As for the absent bird? "Waddle, by the way, is missing in action, but that's OK, we can pretend Waddle is here," the president joked.

The broad-breasted turkeys, weighing in at 52 and 50 pounds respectively, were raised in Wayne County, North Carolina. Like pampered dignitaries, they spent the night before their pardon in a suite at Washington's Willard InterContinental hotel—a standard perk in this modern, photo-friendly ritual that's evolved considerably from its humble origins.

The National Turkey Federation provided the birds and will return them to North Carolina, where they'll live out their days under the care of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Not a bad retirement plan for a turkey.

When Photo Ops Meet Policy Branding

This year's ceremony got an additional layer of political messaging when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. formally certified Gobble and Waddle as the first "Make America Healthy Again" turkeys, folding the lighthearted event into the administration's broader policy branding efforts.

Political Barbs and Dubious Math

Trump couldn't resist using the moment for some political jabs. He revealed he'd considered renaming the birds "Chuck" and "Nancy," after Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), but quipped, "I would never pardon those two people."

The president also revisited his rivalry with predecessor Joe Biden, claiming last year's pardoned turkeys, Peach and Blossom, weren't validly spared because an autopen signed the proclamation. It's the kind of detail only Trump would litigate at a turkey pardoning ceremony.

Then Trump pivoted to economics, arguing that Thanksgiving is getting substantially cheaper under his watch. He pointed to a Walmart-sponsored basket that he claimed cost about 25% less than last year. But here's where the numbers get interesting: the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual survey—the actual authoritative source on Thanksgiving dinner costs—found only a 5% decline in the average cost of a traditional dinner for 10, bringing it to $55.18. And even with that modest drop, prices remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

So yes, Thanksgiving dinner is slightly cheaper this year. Just not as dramatically cheaper as the Rose Garden turkey ceremony would have you believe.