(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden pardoned the national Thanksgiving turkeys on Monday, as families throughout the United States prepare for their own holiday feasts.
Biden pardoned this year’s turkeys Peach and Blossom on the White House South Lawn. The event marked the 77th anniversary of the tradition.
“I’m thinking about that arduous trip you guys made,” Biden said. “And you’re still standing. That trip is 1,100 miles and takes 16.5 hours. Through it all, they stayed calm. They gobbled on — and they’re still gobbling.”
Peach, a 4-month-old and 41-pound turkey, loves eating his favorite snack— tater-tot-topped hotdish. While, Blossom, also 4 months old and 40 pounds, prefers cheese curds, according to the National Turkey Federation.
The birds will go on to the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center after their pardons and are expected to attend the center’s waffle breakfast and Turkey Trot on Friday.
Several former presidents have pardoned turkeys for the Thanksgiving holiday, but the event didn’t become a formal tradition until 1989 under former President George H. W. Bush.
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