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President Biden pardoned two turkeys ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Peaches and Blossom, as they're named, gobbled in wonder during the ceremony held on the South Lawn.
Apparently, 2,500 people gathered for the annual national tradition.
Distinguished guests, please welcome the President of the United States, accompanied by National Turkey Federation Chairman John Zimmerman and his son, Grant.
Well, good morning.
You tell me there's 2,500 people here today looking for a pardon.
Well, good morning and welcome to a wonderful White House tradition.
We've got a lot of folks joining us today.
Members of my cabinet, members of the White House staff and their families.
We've got students from 4-H programs in Future Farmers America.
Where are you?
And of course, a special thanks to everyone at the National Turkey Federation.
Leslie Olden, President of the Federation.
Leslie, where are you?
There you are.
And John Zimmerman, Chairman of the Federation and his family from Northfield, Minnesota.
John.
I was in Northville last year with our last year with my Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Bilsack, and our great friend, the Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Talking about our historic investment in transforming rural America.
Back in Minnesota, John's been in the turkey grower for 35 years.
He's raised over 4 million turkeys.
Whoa.
And with the help of his nine-year-old son Grant, they've raised two special guests for honoring today, Peach and Blossom.
Let's bring Peach up to join us.
Are you telling me Peach weighs about 42 pounds?
What do you say, Peach?
Peach is making a last-minute plea here.
The two turkeys are named after a Delaware State flower, the peach blossom.
And by the way, Delaware has a long history of growing peaches.
In fact, the peach pie in our state is one of my favorite.
It's a state dessert.
And peach blossom flowers also symbolizes resilience, which is quite frankly fitting for today.
This White House tradition began when turkey was presented to President Truman.
And that president, then President George H.W. Bush, began pardoning turkeys.
In the last four years, I've had the honor to continue that tradition by pardoning peanut butter and jelly, chocolate and chip, Liberty and Bell.
And today, Peach and Blossom will join the free birds of the United States of America.
Born this past July at the Zimmerman Family Farm, raised by the, yeah, I hear you.
Peach wants to speak a little bit here.
Raised by the family with the help of neighborhood children who helped the turkey get ready for this very moment.
According to experts, Peach weighs 41 pounds and loves to eat hot dish and tater tots and cross-country skis.
You know, dreams to see, but his real dream he has is to see the Northern Lights, I'm told.
He lives by the motto, keep calm and gobble on.
Meanwhile, Blossom weighs 40 pounds, loves to eat cheese curds and watch boxing.
Dreams of visit to visit each one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes.
Lives by the motto, no foul play, just Minnesota nice.
They just finished a two-day road trip from Minnesota to Washington.
By the way, you have chairs, sit down.
I forgot you had chairs.
I'm sorry.
Start thinking about the arduous trip they made.
You guys are still standing.
That trip's 1,100 miles.
It takes 16.5 hours.
Through it all, they stayed calm and they gobbled on and still gobbling.
They were stayed nice listening to their favorite music, which apparently includes a song Living on a Prayer.
Well, fellas, your prayer is going to be answered today.
based on your temperament and commitment to being productive members of society i hereby pardon peach and blossom they'll now head back to farm america minnesota center for agriculture and interpretation to serve as educational ambassadors of america's top turkey growing state and inspire the next generation of agricultural students
Congratulations.
Let me close on a more serious note.
This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington.
It's also my last time to speak here as your president during this season and give thanks and gratitude.
So let me say to you, it's been the honor of my life.
I'm forever grateful.
Later today, my wife Jill and I will travel to Staten Island, New York for a friendsgiving with members of the Coast Guard and their families to demonstrate our gratitude for their service and sacrifice, like my son.
We're also keeping our hearts those who have lost so much who will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving dinner table tonight, or excuse me, Thursday night.
May we use this moment, take time from our busy lives and focus on what matters most, our families.
My dad used to have an expression: he said, families are the beginning, the middle, and the end, our friends and our neighbors.
And the fact that we bless to live in America, the greatest country on earth, and that's not hyperbole.
We are.
No matter what, in America, we never give up.
We keep going.
We keep to faith.
We just say, remember who we are.
We're the United States of America.
There's nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.
So happy Thanksgiving in America.
God bless you all and may God protect our troops.
Thank you.
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