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Barack Obama pardoned his last turkey as U.S. president on Wednesday, but his daughters should beware: he plans to continue the tradition as a private citizen.
U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama serve Thanksgiving dinner to residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) in Washington, U.S., November 23, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Obama, who leaves office in January, has followed the annual tradition of "pardoning" a turkey every year ahead of the Thanksgiving Day holiday, which many Americans celebrate with a turkey dinner.
His daughters, Malia and Sasha, often join their father for the tongue-in-cheek Rose Garden Ceremony.
Not this year.
"Of course, Thanksgiving is a family holiday as much as a national one. So for the past seven years, I've established another tradition: embarrassing my daughters with a corny-copia of Dad jokes about turkeys," Obama said.
U.S. President Barack Obama attends the pardoning of National Thanksgiving turkey accompanied by his nephews Aaron Robinson and Austin Robinson at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S. November 23, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
"This year they had a scheduling conflict," he deadpanned.
“It is my great privilege, well it’s my privilege—actually, let’s just say it’s my job—to grant them clemency this afternoon,” Obama said.
“As I do, I want to take a moment to recognize 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,” he continued, as a young child cried in the background.
“It’s not that bad now, c’mon,” Obama joked.
The President was joined by his two nephews,instead of his daughters, Malia and Sasha.
“This year, they had a scheduling conflict. Actually, they just couldn’t take my jokes anymore,” Obama said. “Malia and Sasha are thankful, by the way, that this is my final presidential turkey pardon. What I haven’t told them yet is that 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.”
The president was joined in the Rose Garden by his nephews instead. He joked that he planned to keep up the tradition during his post presidency.
After finishing his remarks, filled with puns, the president blessed a 40-pound (18-kg) fowl from Iowa, granting it a long life and a pardon from appearing on an American dinner table. A backup turkey also had its life spared. Their names: "Tot" and "Tater."
(APD)
