President Trump will pardon the national Thanksgiving turkey next Tuesday as part of the 70th anniversary of the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation in the Rose Garden of the White House.
The turkeys, the bird that gets pardoned and its back-up, will head to Virginia Tech’s “Gobblers Rest” exhibit following the pardoning, where they will join last year’s turkeys, according to a statement from the White House Office of the Press Secretary. The “Gobblers Rest” exhibit allows students and veterinarians care for the animals and the public can visit to witness the universities research to advance poultry science and veterinary medicine.
The turkeys are from Western Minnesota and were raised under the supervision of National Turkey Federation chairman Carl Wittenburg, his wife Sharlene, and five women.
The federation is also bringing two turkeys for the First Family to donate to Martha’s Table in Washington, D.C. from Jaindl’s Turkey Farm of Orefield, Pennsylvania.
The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony where the president is presented with a live turkey. The tradition of pardoning turkeys has been an annual event since President George H.W. Bush did so in 1989.
