Biden prevents two turkeys from being gobbled up

On By Littum

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WASHINGTON – After spending a night in the lap of luxury at a 5-star hotel frequented by presidents, two Minnesota-born turkeys named Peach and Blossom strutted their stuff at the White House for President Joe Biden on Monday of Thanksgiving week.

Their snow-white plumage matched the background: the South Portico, the semicircular columned structure that forms part of the executive residence overlooking the South Lawn.

The duo were the latest in a long line of lucky birds to be pardoned by the Commander in Chief of the United States in an annual Thanksgiving tradition dating back to 1989.

“Peach is making a last-minute plea here,” Biden joked, marking his final pardon of chickens as president.

He went on to observe that the two turkeys were named after the Delaware State Flower, the peach blossom. Delaware has a long history of growing peaches, with peach pie being the state’s official dessert, said the president, a former longtime senator from The First State.

“The peach blossom also symbolizes resilience, which is frankly appropriate for today,” he said to laughter from the assembled guests, including members of his cabinet, White House staff and their families.

The nearly 17-week-old turkeys were raised on a farm by John Zimmerman, president of the National Turkey Federation. The farmer was joined by his 9-year-old son Grant at the ceremony. It is a tradition that the chairman of NTF takes care of the turkeys.

While the tradition of the official turkey presentation by the poultry industry began in 1947, when President Harry Truman was president, they were often snubbed.

Truman himself is believed to have said that the turkey would “come in handy” for Christmas dinner.

While others, including President John F. Kennedy, are known for sparing the gifted turkeys from ending up on the Thanksgiving table, the first official “pardon” was issued by President George HW Bush, spurring the celebrated annual tradition.

After introducing the two feathered guests, Biden went on to reveal their hobbies and gave an insight into their outlook on life. Peach, who weighs about 42 pounds, loves to eat tater tot-topped hotdish, cross-country skiing and lives by the motto: keep calm and keep swallowing.

Meanwhile, Blossom’s favorite snack is cottage cheese, he loves watching boxing and dreams of visiting all 10,000 Minnesota lakes. His mantra? “No bird play, just Minnesota nice!”

Biden congratulated the birds for making the “arduous” 1,100-mile trip to the White House over 16.5 hours — 1,100 miles listening to their favorite music.

“Which apparently includes a song, ‘Livin’ on Prayer,'” he said, referring to the Bon Jovi hit, drawing laughter. “Well guys, your prayer will be answered today based on your temperament and commitment to being productive members of society. I hereby forgive Peach and Blossom.”

The birds who spent Sunday night at the famed Willard InterContinental will have left their newly acquired luxury lifestyle habit, cold turkey.

They soon return to live a modest life at Farmamerica, an agricultural interpretive center in Waseca, Minnesota. They can just cry bird.

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is the White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal