Animals

The Strange Reason Why the President Pardons a Turkey on Thanksgiving

Every year, the president “pardons” two turkeys from being served on a Thanksgiving table. Have you ever wondered how this tradition started, and how these turkeys are selected for pardoning?

Amanda Waxman

Oct 20, 2022
(Originally Published: Nov 23, 2020)

Every year, the president “pardons” two turkeys from being served on a Thanksgiving table. Have you ever wondered how this tradition started, and how these turkeys are selected for pardoning?

President Joe Biden raises his arms next to a turkey standing on a platform — President Joe Biden pardons Peanut Butter the turkey in front of the White House, 2021Alex Wong / Getty Images

Many American households have their own unique Thanksgiving traditions, and the White House is no exception. Every year, the president “pardons” two turkeys from being served on a Thanksgiving table. Have you ever wondered how this tradition started, and how these turkeys are selected for pardoning? Read on to learn about how this bizarre American tradition got its start.

President Harry S. Truman pardons a Turkey in the White House Rose Garden. — President Truman pets a turkey donated to him by the National Egg and Poultry Board, November 16, 1949. Harry S. Truman Presidential Library/NARA

"[L]et me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone's dinner table, not this guy. He's granted a presidential pardon as of right now—and allow him to live out his days on a children's farm not far from here."

Turkeys crowded into an industrial farm — Investigators document the crowded conditions inside a turkey factory farm, Canada, 2020Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals

Who was the first president to pardon a turkey?

While George H.W. Bush was the first president to offer an official Presidential Pardon to a turkey, the roots of the turkey pardoning tradition go all the way back to Harry S. Truman's presidency.

Although the poultry industry markets turkey as the “all-American bird,” it was not always so popular. In fact, in 1947, Harry Truman proposed an initiative for "poultryless Thursdays," which alarmed the industry.

To appease Truman and prevent the president from making a dent in their profits, poultry farmers began donating turkeys to the White House. This was the first time the National Turkey Federation presented the president with turkeys in an annual Rose Garden ceremony, but Truman did not actually "pardon" these turkeys as part of the festivities. According to the Truman Presidential Library, all eight donated turkeys were killed and consumed at the White House thanksgiving dinner.

When was the first presidential turkey pardon?

Over the years, the poultry industry steadily strengthened its influence over politics and deepened its relationship with the White House. To this day, the National Turkey Federation, the industry’s lobbying arm, spends millions of dollars to promote the consumption of turkeys. Poultry farmers continued to donate a Thanksgiving turkey to the White House every year, until, in 1989, President George H.W. Bush declared turkey pardoning an official White House tradition. Standing on the White House balcony, he stated:

What happens to pardoned turkeys?

After the pardoning ceremony, university research farms take in the presidential turkeys, allowing the birds to live out their full lifespan (while sometimes using them as research subjects). Peanut Butter and Jelly, the turkeys pardoned by President Joe Biden in 2021, were transported to Purdue University Animal Sciences and Research Farm following their pardon.

However, although the President spares the “National Thanksgiving Turkey” from the slaughterhouse, these turkeys still endure many of the same hardships as other members of their species. Turkeys raised for meat are genetically selected to grow so large, so fast that their bodies can barely support them. Their legs can break under their own weight, and many experience heart failure. In fact, the pardonee is at such a high risk of dying before the ceremony that the National Turkey Federation provides a backup turkey. All of the National Thanksgiving Turkeys have died within a year of the ceremony.

Why are turkeys pardoned?

The seemingly lighthearted tradition of turkey pardoning draws attention to a much darker truth: the poultry industry condemns over 46 million turkeys to a violent death before every Thanksiving. These birds spend their lives crowded into dark, filthy sheds on factory farms, experiencing the worst forms of abuse and neglect. Their beaks and toes are cut off, often without pain relief. At slaughterhouses, they're hung upside down while a machine slits their throats in a process known as “live-shackle slaughter.” Then they're lowered into scalding tanks, though many are still conscious. They can see, hear, and smell the moments before they are boiled alive.

This Thanksgiving, you can take a stand against this cruelty. Pardon a turkey by leaving them off your plate and having a compassionate, plant-based meal. Check out our plant-based Thanksgiving guide for all the recipes and inspiration you need to start a kinder holiday tradition.