WASHINGTON (Gray News) – President Joe Biden has a big job to do before Thanksgiving.
The national Thanksgiving turkeys will be pardoned on the White House South Lawn Monday.
The two turkeys, Peach and Blossom, arrived from Minnesota over the weekend. Per tradition, Peach and Blossom were treated to a suite at the Willard InterContental Hotel before their pardoning on Monday.
This is the 77th annual turkey presentation although pardoning of the birds did not become a tradition until George H.W. Bush’s administration.
According to folklore, during Abraham Lincoln’s administration, his son asked to spare a pet turkey that was supposed to be cooked for dinner which sparked the tradition.
This will be the last turkey pardon of Biden’s presidency. Past turkey pardons under Biden include Liberty and Bell in 2023, Chocolate and Chip in 2022 and Peanut Butter and Jelly in 2021.
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