Trump hijacks turkey pardon with Biden, Pritzker jabs
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President Trump pardons Gobble during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
President Trump's turkey pardon ceremony on Tuesday was derailed by attacks on former President Biden's alleged use of an autopen and crime rates in Chicago amid praise for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Why it matters: The president's speeches frequently span a wide range of topics, and the turkey pardon gave Trump an opportunity to hit many of his frequent criticisms.
What they're saying: "[Biden] used an autopen last year for the turkey's pardon," Trump said to laughter in the White House Rose Garden.
- Trump claimed the use of an autopen made those pardons null and void, and that they were going to be sent to death before he stepped in.
- "I am officially pardoning them, and they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time," Trump said.
Context: Trump and MAGA allies have repeatedly insisted that Biden's staff frequently used an autopen to sign documents during his administration to help cover up his "cognitive decline," including launching an investigation into his 2020 and temporary 2024 rival.
- Biden has previously told Axios that Trump's autopen attacks are "ridiculous and false."
- A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Zoom in: The president also used his speech to throw jabs at Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, falsely claiming the Democrat-run city has out-of-control crime rates Trump must send in the National Guard to address.
- "We could make Chicago a safe city in a period of four weeks," Trump said.
- "The mayor is incompetent and the governor is a big fat slob. So Governor Pritzker, if you're listening, let's get your act together. Invite us in."
- Neither Johnson nor Pritzker's office immediately responded to Axios' request for comment.
Driving the news: The 2025 White House turkeys, Gobble and Waddle, are North Carolina-grown, and are the first turkeys to be MAHA-certified, according to the president.
- Gobble interrupted the president's remarks intermittently to offer his two cents, while Waddle was MIA.
- Trump acknowledged Waddle's absence, but never elaborated on why the bird had flown the coup.
Zoom out: Poultry pardons have been used to launch cheeky attacks at political opponents before too.
- In Trump's first term, the president took aim at the congressional investigation into possible collusion with his 2016 campaign and Russia, saying the turkeys "have already received subpoenas to appear in Adam Schiff's basement."
- In 2022, Biden poked fun at Trump's false claim the New Yorker had won the 2020 election, saying: "The votes are in, they've been counted and verified, no ballot stuffing, no fowl play. The only red wave this season is going to be if German Shepherd Commander knocks over the cranberry sauce."
Axios' Avery Lotz contributed reporting to this story.
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