{"id":2373081,"date":"2024-11-25T07:43:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T12:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-white-house-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon-came-to-be-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-11-25T07:45:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T12:45:57","slug":"how-the-white-house-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon-came-to-be-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-white-house-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon-came-to-be-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"How the White House Thanksgiving Turkey pardon came to be &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-the-white-house-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon-came-to-be-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2373081&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Thanksgiving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-the-presidential-turkey-pardon-constitutional-legal-experts-and-peta-weigh-in\/\" title=\"Is The Presidential Turkey Pardon Constitutional? Legal Experts And PETA Weigh In\">turkey pardon<\/a> has become a longstanding tradition in\u2064 the\u2064 United States, with presidents performing this ceremonial\u2063 act each year before the Thanksgiving holiday. The custom is believed\u2064 to have \u200cbegun\u2063 with Abraham Lincoln, who, during the Civil War, reportedly\u200c spared a turkey at the request\u200d of his son, Tad. While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesotas-new-social-studies-curriculum-would-racialize-first-graders-teach-high-schoolers-about-the-evils-of-whiteness-capitalism-and-christianity\/\" title=\"Minnesota\u2019s New Social Studies Curriculum Would Racialize First-Graders, Teach High Schoolers About The Evils Of \u2018Whiteness, Capitalism, And Christianity\u2019\">historical sources<\/a> \u2062may suggest this\u200c account is exaggerated, Lincoln&#8217;s association with the practice endures.<\/p>\n<p>As the years progressed, other presidents, including Harry \u2064Truman, participated in turkey presentations, but it wasn&#8217;t until John F. Kennedy&#8217;s presidency in the 1960s\u200d that\u2063 the term &#8220;pardon&#8221; was explicitly used during the ceremony. Kennedy expressed a desire to &#8220;keep him going&#8221; regarding the turkey presented to him.<\/p>\n<p>Since Kennedy, every \u200cU.S. president \u200dhas engaged in this light-hearted tradition, which \u200dprovides a momentary respite from the pressures of governing.\u200c The turkey pardon not only \u2064showcases\u2063 the president&#8217;s approachable side but also \u2062highlights a quirky aspect of American culture \u200dduring the Thanksgiving season.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">How the White House Thanksgiving Turkey pardon came to be<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>U.S. presidents have for decades dutifully trotted out before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thanksgiving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Thanksgiving<\/a> to hold an obligatory <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/food-and-beverage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">turkey<\/a> pardoning ceremony on the White House grounds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The presidential practice of granting clemency to a choice selection of lucky turkeys just before millions of citizens feast is now an established American tradition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But then how did it all begin? Here&rsquo;s a look from the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> into how the ceremony came into existence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3191374\/dates-2024-presidential-transition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>KEY DATES FOR THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abraham Lincoln<\/h2>\n<p>Tradition has it that Abraham Lincoln was the first president to grant clemency to a turkey during the Civil War.<\/p>\n<p>Historical accounts indicate Tad Lincoln, the president&rsquo;s son, urged his father to spare the bird from being slaughtered for a Christmas feast in 1863, per an 1865 report by White House reporter Noah Brooks. While the White House Historical Association has reported the account <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehousehistory.org\/pardoning-the-thanksgiving-turkey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">may be overstated<\/a>, the legend lives on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">John F. Kennedy<\/h2>\n<p>People delivered turkeys as gifts to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/White-House\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">White House<\/a> for years after Lincoln&rsquo;s alleged act of clemency, and President Harry Truman became in 1947 the first occupant of the oval office to host a turkey presentation from the National Turkey Federation. But there is no known record of a president pardoning a turkey from the group until John F. Kennedy&rsquo;s presidency in the 1960s.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s keep him going,&rdquo; Kennedy said of the turkey in a 1963 <em>Washington Post <\/em>article, according to the White House Historical Association.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3220444\/voters-send-history-making-candidates-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>VOTERS SEND HISTORY-MAKING CANDIDATES TO CONGRESS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President John F. Kennedy, left, reaches out to touch a big, 40-pound turkey, presented to him Nov. 19, 1963, at the White House. the presentation was made on behalf of the nation&rsquo;s turkey industry. Attending the ceremony, from left: Mildred Smith of Ellicott City, Md., wife of turkey farmer Morris G. Smith; Robert M. McPherrin, Sunnymead, Calif., president of the National Turkey Federation; and Senator Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.). (AP Photo\/Harvey Georges)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The outlet&rsquo;s publication was also the first time the word &ldquo;pardon&rdquo; was used.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Every president since Kennedy has subsequently lined up to take a photo with representatives from the National Turkey Federation during a turkey presentation ceremony.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For presidents facing foul attacks from political opponents and weighed over by heavy policy matters, the light-hearted ceremony has served as a welcome relief from the cares of the Oval Office and represented an opportunity for citizens to see the chief executive in a more human light.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ronald Reagan<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Ronald-Reagan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ronald Reagan<\/a> became the first president to use the term &ldquo;pardon&rdquo; about a turkey during a ceremony in 1987.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Ronald Reagan, with Peter Hermanson, president of the National Turkey Federation, right, takes part in the annual White House Thanksgiving turkey presentation on Friday, Nov. 19, 1988  at Washington in the Rose Garden.   The 40-50 pound gobbler, named Woody, from Iowa, will be sent to a pet farm in Reston, Va. after the event.  Other people at the event are unidentified. (AP Photo\/Ron Edmonds)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>His successor, President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-h-w-bush\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">George H.W. Bush<\/a>, formalized the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-cracks-jokes-at-traditional-turkey-pardon\/\" title=\"Biden Cracks Jokes At Traditional\u00a0Turkey Pardon\">turkey pardoning tradition<\/a>, with the practice becoming an annual event each year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He will not end up on anyone&rsquo;s dinner table, not this guy. He&rsquo;s granted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-trump-aide-paul-manafort-cant-be-prosecuted-in-new-york-following-pardon-court-rules\/\" title=\"Ex-Trump Aide Paul Manafort Can\u2019t Be Prosecuted in New York Following Pardon, Court Rules\">presidential pardon<\/a> as of right now,&rdquo; Bush said. <\/p>\n<p>Presidents have now quipped their way through the ceremony for years, though it has ruffled PETA&rsquo;s feathers. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">progressive animal rights group<\/a> has found the jokes a little foul, mourning &ldquo;it makes light of the mass slaughter of some 45 million gentle, intelligent birds.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Barack-Obama\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Barack Obama<\/a> wasn&rsquo;t known to gobble up the turkey ceremony either.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I know some folks think this tradition is a little silly,&rdquo;&nbsp;he said in 2015 at the pardoning ceremony. &ldquo;I do not disagree.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Thanksgiving turkey pardon at the White House has become a long-standing tradition where U.S. presidents grant clemency to select turkeys before the holiday feast<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2373082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Trump-Turkey.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38598,8775,45650,32076,32127],"class_list":["post-2373081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-thanksgiving","tag-tradition","tag-turkey-pardon","tag-washington-examiner","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Trump-Turkey.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2373081"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2373085,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373081\/revisions\/2373085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2373082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2373081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2373081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2373081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}