WASHINGTON — President Trump didn’t bring much holiday cheer Tuesday when bestowing ceremonial pardons on two Thanksgiving turkeys, dispensing more insults than goodwill at the traditional White House ritual.
He joked about sending the turkeys to an infamous prison in El Salvador that has been used to house migrants deported from the United States. He said the birds should be named Chuck and Nancy — after Democratic stalwarts Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi — but “I would never pardon those people.”
Trump claimed that last year’s turkey pardons, issued by President Biden, were invalid because he used an autopen. “Where’s Hunter?” he said, suggesting that his predecessor’s son could once again face legal jeopardy.
And all of that was before Trump turned his attention to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat who has resisted the White House’s plans to deploy the National Guard in Chicago.
Trump said he had a joke prepared about Pritzker, but “I refuse to talk about the fact that he’s a fat slob. I don’t mention it.”
Scattered laughter rippled through the audience, which sat under cloudy skies and an intermittent drizzle on the Rose Garden patio.
Trump eventually got around to the business at hand, which was pardoning the turkeys Gobble and Waddle. Both were spared the dinner table, but only one got the spotlight.
“Gobble, I just want to tell you this — very important — you are hereby unconditionally pardoned,” Trump said. He reached over to run his hand over the feathers, saying, “Who would want to harm this beautiful bird?”
Waddle had previously been spotted in the White House briefing room.
“Waddle, want to give us a gobble?” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asked.
The turkey obliged.
“Very on message!” Leavitt said.
Trump used part of his ceremonial remarks to insist that the price of Thanksgiving meals was dropping under his leadership, although his numbers are misleading. Some research indicates that holiday dinners could cost more this year, a reminder of persistent frustration with inflation.
The president plans to fly south to his private Florida resort later Tuesday, a holiday interlude during what has been a turbulent and uncertain chapter of his second term.
Trump is struggling to advance a plan to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine after an earlier version faced swift criticism from European allies and even some Republicans. The U.S. military is also poised to target Venezuela with military strikes, part of an anti-drug operation that could ultimately destabilize the country’s leadership.
In Washington, Trump faces the possibility of a splintering Republican coalition ahead of next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. Some members of his party already took the rare step of crossing the president by successfully pushing legislation to force the Justice Department to release more documents about the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Trump faced a setback in court this week when a federal judge tossed cases against James Comey and Letitia James, two targets of the president’s retribution campaign.
Comey, a former FBI director whom Trump fired during his first term, was charged with making a false statement and obstructing Congress. James, the New York attorney general who investigated the president between his two terms, was charged with mortgage fraud.
Both pleaded not guilty and said the prosecutions were politically motivated, pointing to Trump’s public demands for the Justice Department to punish his enemies.
The judge said the interim U.S. attorney, a former member of Trump’s personal legal team, who obtained the indictments was illegally appointed. However, the decision was made without prejudice, so the Justice Department could try again to charge Comey and James.
The White House plans to be open for holiday tours. However, despite the arrival of a Christmas tree via horse-drawn carriage on Monday, the presidential residence will be much different this year.
Trump’s decision to demolish the building’s East Wing to make room for a new ballroom has turned part of the White House grounds into a construction site.
Megerian writes for the Associated Press.
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