Tue Nov 26 07:51:26 UTC 2024: ## Biden Pardons Two Turkeys in Final Thanksgiving Tradition
**Washington D.C.** – In his final Thanksgiving event as President, Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys, Peach and Blossom, on Monday, November 25th. The event, held on the South Lawn before a crowd of approximately 2,500 people, marked the official start of the holiday season and Biden’s last Thanksgiving address as President. He expressed gratitude for his half-century career in Washington.
The two turkeys, named after the Delaware state flower, the peach blossom, were raised on a farm in Northfield, Minnesota, by the National Turkey Federation, which has gifted turkeys to presidents since the Truman administration. Both birds enjoyed a front-row seat to the President’s speech, gobbling occasionally in the background.
The tradition of presidential turkey pardons, while popularly linked to President Abraham Lincoln’s son, Tad, officially began in 1989 under President George H.W. Bush. While Lincoln’s clemency to a turkey named Jack is documented, the modern tradition stems from the Truman administration in 1947 and formalized in 1989.
This year’s pardoned turkeys, Peach and Blossom, will spend their retirement at Farmamerica, an agricultural interactive center in Minnesota. President Biden’s pardons follow the established pattern of offering reprieve to one or two birds annually. Last year, he pardoned Liberty and Bell.
First Piper 