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.”
ADVERTISING
“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.
