Summary

  • Click the play button at the top of this page to watch a livestream of US President Joe Biden as he pardons two turkeys

  • Each year the president pardons a turkey in the days before Thanksgiving, a US holiday where roast turkey is typically on the menu

  • The strange tradition can be traced back to President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 when historians say he spared a turkey's life after his son befriended it

  • This years' birds are named Liberty and Bell and they both spent the night in a luxury hotel room ahead of the pardoning at the White House

Live Reporting

Brandon Livesay

  1. Live coverage ends

    Unfortunately we are having some technical issues and have to end our live coverage.

    If you would like to watch the turkey pardoning you can do so at the White House website here.

  2. Obama's dad jokes

    Obama daughters skip turkey pardon

    Sometimes presidents just have to lean in to the absurdity of the turkey pardonings. And former President Barack Obama relished cracking turkey puns. Here's a few of his best:

    • He his daughters just couldn't take his jokes anymore. They were "fed up".
    • "What I haven't told them yet is we are going to do this every year from now on. No cameras, just us, every year. No way I'm cutting this habit cold turkey."
    • "Tater is here in a backup role just in case Tot can't fulfill his duties. So he's sort of like the vice turkey. We're working on getting him a pair of aviator glasses." (a reference to Obama’s then-VP, current US President Joe Biden)
    • "I want to take a moment to recognise the brave turkeys who weren't so lucky. Who didn't get to ride the gravy train to freedom. Who met their fate with courage and sacrifice and proved that they weren't chicken."
    • "We should also make sure everyone has something to eat on Thanksgiving. Of course, except the turkeys, because they're already stuffed."
    • “Let's get on with the pardoning. Because it's Wednesday afternoon and everyone knows that Thanksgiving traffic can put people in a foul mood.”

  3. In Pictures: Past presidents and their turkey pardons

    Perhaps some of the most awkward photographs taken of US Presidents are them interacting with very large birds.

    Let's take a look at some.

    George W Bush and a turkeyGetty Images
    Richard Nixon and a turkeyGetty Images
    Donald Trump pardons a turkeyGetty Images
    Obama pardons a turkeyGetty Images
    Bill Clinton and a turkeyGetty Images
    George HW Bush and a turkeyGetty Images

  4. Birds stay in luxury digs before trip to the Rose Garden

    Turkeys on hotel bedsNational Turkey Association

    Liberty and Bell were chauffeured in their own vehicle before strolling down the red carpet into the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC.

    The pair stayed at a "special suite" in the hotel, which is right next to the White House.

    Their hotel stay is paid for by the National Turkey Association.

    The pair walk the red carpetNational Turkey Federation

    Liberty and Bell stroll down the red carpet for their hotel stay

  5. Let’s meet the lucky birds

    Turkey is the favourite US food for the Thanksgiving holiday, with an estimated 46 million consumed on the day each year.

    This year the pardoned turkeys - named Liberty and Bell - hail from Minnesota.

    Both were born on 10 July of this year and weigh about 42 lbs (19kg).

    A National Turkey Federation chairman got to name the duo - which is an homage to the historical American landmark, the Liberty Bell, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

    Factsheet about pardoned turkeyNational Turkey Federation
    Facts about pardoned turkeyNational Turkey Federation

  6. History of the turkey pardonings

    JFK pardoning turkeyAbbie Rowe, White House Photographs/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

    President John F Kennedy gave an unofficial pardoning days before his assassination in 1963

    The tradition can be traced back to President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

    Historians claim he spared a turkey's life after his son, Tad, befriended it.

    But yearly pardoning became an "official" tradition only under George H W Bush, when the former president spared a turkey's life in 1989 as animal-rights activists protested nearby.

    Many people believe the custom was started 70 years ago by Harry Truman, because he was the first president to receive a turkey on behalf of the poultry industry as a whole.

    His government launched a campaign in 1947 to encourage people to forego eating poultry and eggs on Thursdays, in order to conserve supplies to send to post-war Europe.

    But Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day fell on Thursdays that year - causing outrage.

    Other presidents before Bush Snr did spare birds lives, including President John F Kennedy - who gave an unofficial pardoning days before his assassination in 1963.

  7. Welcome

    Brandon Livesay
    US reporter

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the presidential turkey pardons.

    Today is weird.

    We have one of the most powerful people in the world dedicating their day to pardoning two large birds, so that they are not turned into a roast lunch on the US holiday of Thanksgiving.

    Is it high-stakes politics? Probably not.

    But it's a quirky tradition which has a history dating back to Abraham Lincoln.

    And it’s also US President Joe Biden’s 81st birthday. What a way to spend his day.

    Stay with us.