Biden to pardon turkeys named Peach and Blossom in Thanksgiving event

On By Littum

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Meet Peach and Blossom, two lucky birds expected to get a meal reprieve Monday from President Joe Biden during the White House’s annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon.

The Minnesota-born turkeys weigh 40 and 41 pounds. They were hatched July 18 in Northfield, Minnesota, and raised on a farm by John Zimmerman, president of the National Turkey Federation, and his 9-year-old son, Grant, who introduced the birds at an event in Washington.

Zimmerman told reporters Sunday that raising birds meant extra training to stay calm in an urban environment. The White House event generally includes a speech from the president, a few jokes, and the clatter of dozens of cameras alongside the normal city traffic noise.

“In order for these birds to be prepared for the hustle and bustle they will experience in DC, we acclimated them to lights, cameras and even introduced them to a wide variety of music, from polkas to classic rock. Grant and some other kids from our neighborhood, some of whom were able to join us here today, have done an amazing job of raising these turkeys to feel comfortable and ready for the big event at the White House,” Zimmerman said.

More: The President’s Turkey Pardons: An Illustrated Guide to the Thanksgiving Tradition

The roughly 17-week-old turkeys gobbled and strutted around the famed Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel during the press conference. The birds will stay at the hotel ahead of their brief visit to the White House.

After being pardoned by Biden at 11 ET Monday, the turkeys will return to live at Farmamerica, an agricultural interpretive center in Waseca, Minnesota.

Not everyone is a fan of the 77-year-old tradition, with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals calling it a “humiliating meat industry stunt that uses the White House as its PR backdrop,” in a letter this week calling it out. for Biden to stop it.