WASHINGTON (AP) — In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, President Donald Trump has used the power of his office to keep a pair of turkeys off the holiday table.
Trump’s poultry pardon means the two turkeys — a 39-pound bird named Peas and a 41-pounder named Carrots — will get to live the rest of their lives at a Virginia farm. Both were raised on a farm near Huron, South Dakota. First lady Melania Trump joined her husband for the act of mercy carried out during a light-hearted ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
President George H.W. Bush established the annual turkey pardon tradition in 1989 by sparing a 50-pound bird.
Trump was traveling to his Florida estate later Tuesday to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family.
President Trump and The First Lady Participate in the Presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey https://t.co/LYmGXaDnEo
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) November 20, 2018
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