Comment Turkeys would not accept questions. Moments after President Biden pardoned Chocolate and Chip, two husky foodies from a pair of Southern states let out loud, ecstatic puffs that echoed throughout the Rose Garden ceremony — but declined to comment further. Their cries weren’t the only animal cries that punctuated Monday’s ceremony, as one (presumably) handler, Biden’s German shepherd, watched from the White House’s second-floor balcony and occasionally let out a commanding weft. Sorry, Commander, you’re a good boy, but these turkeys are free. The birds, traditionally presented by the National Turkey Federation, hail from Monroe, NC, where NTF President Ronnie Parker raised them. The White House on Nov. 21 kicked off the holiday season with its annual thanksgiving of a pair of Thanksgiving turkeys. (Video: The Washington Post) Later in the afternoon, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were to travel to the US Marine Corps Base in Cherry Point, NC — which is on the Eastern Seaboard, a 250-mile drive from Chocolate and Chip’s hometown — to dine with service members and their families. Biden called it a “Friend.” (Presidents, they’re just like us!) On Tuesday, they’ll fly to Nantucket, Massachusetts, where they’ll celebrate the holiday with family before returning to the District on Sunday. Biden appeared to be in a jovial mood on Monday, wearing aviator sunglasses, unleashing yet another barrage of corny jokes and corny puns. Was there a reference to the “bird game”? You make a bet. Did he promise not to “gobble up too much time”? Well, people wouldn’t call him Uncle Joe if he didn’t. Biden promised to keep things short, acknowledging the pleasant day by saying, “No one likes to go cold turkey.” Surely even the turkeys groaned at it. “They listened to a lot of music to prepare for the noise of the crowd today,” Biden added, before laughing. “It’s really hard work.” His good mood wasn’t particularly surprising given the red tide he wasn’t during the recent midterm elections, which he made sure to inject into an otherwise apolitical ceremony, saying: “The only red tide this season is going to is if the German Shepherd knocks the cranberry sauce on our table.’ The turkeys, meanwhile, seemed to be enjoying themselves despite wearing nothing but feathers to keep out the bitter cold as the temperature hovered in the 40s during the bright DC morning. Most likely, they were looking forward to their new home at North Carolina State University. Still, as Biden said: “When we told them they were joining the Wolfpack, they were a little bit scared. But then we explained it was just a mascot.” Honestly, their good mood wasn’t a surprise either, as the turkeys have been enjoying quite a bit of press this year. The Washington Post’s front page on Monday included stories about “vegetarian and vegan foods that may outshine this turkey” and a piece about how nice people they are. “Now, based on their character and their commitment to being productive members of society, I’m condoning the chocolate and the chip,” Biden said around 11:31 a.m. The 46-pound chocolate was placed on a table adorned with a fall floral display, while the 47-pound Chip roamed the Rose Garden lawn as if it were his own. Biden offered the microphone to Chocolate, but he declined to comment. Unlike Saturday’s White House wedding of Naomi Biden and Peter Neill, the turkey pardon was open to the press, which arrived in a flurry. “We had a 12-year-old with press credentials today,” said one incredulous security guard, laughing. Indeed, the future of journalism looked bright as scores of young reporters stood proudly, notebooks in hand, among the grizzled vets of the White House press corps. Unfortunately, most of those reporters were stationed in areas without a view of the president or the turkeys whose lives he was guarding — nor, curiously, were they allowed to watch on a live feed screen set up in the press area. Some tried to get away, while others watched on their phones a live feed of what was happening not 75 feet away. Reporters spying the weekend wedding with binoculars might have had a better idea of what they were covering. Most agree the tradition dates back to 1947 — indeed, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dubbed Monday’s event the “75th Anniversary of the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation” at a press briefing last week. That’s when the National Poultry and Egg Board and the National Turkey Federation began donating birds to the leader – at the time, President Harry S. Truman. The timing wasn’t exactly arbitrary. Earlier that year, the government had approved ‘Poultry-free Thursdays’, encouraging food conservation in the wake of World War II but sparking outrage from industry. It led to a protest campaign called “Chickens for Harry” in which farmers sent cages of live chickens to the White House. But there is no evidence that Truman pardoned his turkey that year. It seems much more likely that he devoured it, for the following year he accepted two more birds as a gift, saying they would “make them comfortable” for Christmas dinner. Turkeys and the White House have a longer, more storied history, according to the White House Historical Association. In 1873, Rhode Island poultry slinger Horace Vose gave a turkey he had raised to President Ulysses S. Grant — and spent the next four decades providing dozens and dozens of the birds to presidents for Thanksgiving and Christmas. For most of American history, if a president happened upon a turkey in the White House, he ate it. Exceptions proving this rule occurred sporadically. An 1865 dispatch by White House reporter Noah Brooks notes that President Abraham Lincoln pardoned a gourmand in 1863. President John F. Kennedy reportedly let one live the holiday in 1963, and turkeys were given to first ladies Patricia Nixon in 1973 and Rosalynn Carter in 1978 were sent to live on farms. The actual grace has only been an annual tradition since 1989, according to the WHHA, when President George HW Bush said of his lucky bird, while animal rights activists milled around nearby: “But let me assure you, and this nice turkey, that you won’t end up on anyone’s table, not this guy – he’s been given a presidential pardon as of now – and let him live out his days on a children’s farm not far from here.’ Bush kept the tradition alive throughout his presidency, as have all who have held the office since. All this history meant little to Chocolate and Chip, who dropped their wings and accepted the president’s remarks – apparently excited at the prospect of joining such forgiving birds as Peanut Butter and Jelly and Mac and Cheese in the great delivery of not which are filled and baked. And, though they declined to speak to the assembled press, they booed when Biden closed the ceremony with a call for unity. “Let’s remember one thing. This is the United states of America. The United States of America. There is not one solitary thing beyond our capabilities as a nation, nothing beyond our capabilities if we do it together. United. United,” Biden said, as Chocolate dragged his head forward, red brush swaying in the light breeze, and let out a terrible slurp. More stories from the Style section See 3 more stories
