On Wednesday, President Obama will perform one of his strangest White House duties: the annual turkey pardon.
It’s a short Thanksgiving-week ceremony in which the president names and officially “pardons” a turkey presented by the National Turkey Federation. The bird and an alternate then get to spend the rest of their (admittedly pretty short) lives on a farm in Virginia, as opposed to on the White House dinner table.
The sheer oddity of the tradition has made it fodder for pop culture: late-night television schticks, political cartoons, even a scene or two in the television show “The West Wing.” “I need you to pardon a turkey,” press secretary C.J. Cregg tells President Bartlet on the show. “Aren’t I going to get a reputation for being soft on turkeys?” Bartlet retorts.
This year, the White House Historical Association rounded up photos of presidents and their turkeys, starting from the 1920s:
… Into the 1960s:
… 1970s:
… 1980s, when the official “pardoning” reportedly became a White House tradition, and beyond:
This year will mark President Obama’s seventh turkey-pardoning ceremony. Here is a video round-up of choice moments from previous events, including Obama’s corny jokes and the subsequent eye rolls from Sasha and Malia:
What will the 2016 election mean for the turkey pardon? IJ Review is already asking. Here’s what three Republican presidential candidates — Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson — said about how they would pardon a turkey:
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