Liberty and Bell can unfold their wings with out concern.
The Thanksgiving turkeys performed their half Monday in an annual vacation custom on the White Home: a president sparing them from changing into somebody’s dinner.
“I hereby pardon Liberty and Bell. Congratulations, birds,” Biden stated after one of many Nationwide Thanksgiving Turkeys was positioned on a desk close to him.
The occasion, held on the South Garden this yr as a substitute of the smaller Rose Backyard, marks the unofficial begin of the vacation season in Washington, and Monday was an particularly busy opening day.
President Joe Biden, the oldest president in U.S. historical past, additionally celebrated turning 81 on Monday. Within the afternoon, first girl Jill Biden was accepting the supply of an 18.5-foot Fraser fir from Fleetwood, North Carolina, because the official White Home Christmas tree.
Biden joked about his age, saying, “that is the 76th anniversary of this occasion. I need you to know I wasn’t there for the primary one.” The Democrat’s age has turn out to be a problem as he seeks reelection subsequent yr.
The custom dates to 1947 when the Nationwide Turkey Federation, which represents turkey farmers and producers, first introduced a Nationwide Thanksgiving Turkey to President Harry Truman.
