Joe Biden pardons turkeys Peach and Blossom in White House Thanksgiving tradition

WASHINGTON/STATEN ISLAND, New York: On Monday, US President Joe Biden pardoned Peach and Blossom, two white-feathered turkeys, sparing them from the Thanksgiving dinner tables. This annual tradition also marked the start of the Democrat’s final holiday celebrations at the White House.

This year’s turkeys are named after Delaware’s state flower, the peach blossom, which symbolizes resilience, Bidenwho owns two homes in the state, told a crowd of about 2,500 people on the South Lawn of the White House as one of the turkeys gobbled in the background.

“This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington. It is also the last time I will speak here as President this season and express my thanks and gratitude to you. So let me to tell you that this has been the honor of my life, I am eternally grateful,” Biden said.

Peach weighs 41 pounds (19 kg) and loves eating hot food and tater tots and her dream is to see the Northern Lights, while Blossom weighs 40 pounds (18 kg) and loves eating cheese curds and watching boxing, Biden joked.

The real beginning of what has become today’s turkey pardoning tradition dates back to the presidency of Harry Truman in 1947. The official tradition began in 1989 at the White House, when then-President George HW Bush, offered the first official presidential pardon.

Millions of turkeys will be roasted Thursday in Thanksgiving ovens across the country and topped with gravy, accompanied by a variety of side dishes, including holiday staples like stuffing, potatoes, gravy with cranberries and green bean casserole.

Biden visited Staten Island, New York, later Monday for a “Friendsgiving” event, during which he and his wife Jill Biden thanked members of the U.S. Coast Guard and their families for their service to the country .

“We owe you. We owe your families,” Biden told hundreds of Coastians and their loved ones as he highlighted the Coast Guard’s work this year, including rescue missions after recent hurricanes and response after the collapse of a Baltimore bridge.

After his remarks, Biden and the first lady donned black White House aprons and helped serve roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash for more than an hour, amid the din of many noisy children. “This feels like home,” Jill Biden said.

Biden returned to the stage briefly to say goodbye. “I have just been told that I have been made redundant,” he joked, saying that those around him had to “get the hell out of here” because of the road closures.