why do presidents pardon turkeys

Presidents pardon turkeys as a light‑hearted Thanksgiving tradition that mixes politics, public relations, and a symbolic gesture of mercy toward an animal that would otherwise be headed for the dinner table. It has essentially become a yearly photo‑op where the president cracks jokes, signals holiday goodwill, and gives one or two turkeys a “get out of Thanksgiving free” pass.

How the tradition started

• For more than a century, U.S. presidents have been given ceremonial turkeys around Thanksgiving, originally as gifts that were often eaten rather than spared.

• The National Turkey Federation (the turkey industry’s trade group) began regularly presenting birds to presidents in the late 1940s, tying the event to Thanksgiving and turning it into a public ritual.

From gifts to “pardons”

• In 1963, John F. Kennedy spared a turkey and said, “We’ll just let this one grow,” which a newspaper jokingly described as a “presidential pardon,” though no formal pardon existed yet.

• Ronald Reagan later used the word “pardon” about a turkey in the 1980s, partly as a humorous deflection during questions about the Iran‑Contra scandal, connecting the idea of clemency for people and turkeys in the public imagination.

Making it official

• The modern, clearly defined turkey‑pardon ceremony dates to 1989, when President George H. W. Bush explicitly said the bird would not end up on anyone’s dinner table and was being granted a “presidential pardon,” establishing it as an annual White House tradition.

• Since then, every president has kept the ritual going, usually pardoning two turkeys each year and sending them to live out their lives on a farm, a university, or another designated sanctuary.

Why do it at all?

• It is a made‑for‑camera moment: the event offers family‑friendly images, corny jokes, and a break from partisan fights, which helps the White House craft a softer, more approachable image during the holidays.

• Symbolically, it echoes the idea of presidential clemency but in a harmless, humorous way, letting the president talk about mercy and gratitude without entering into controversial criminal cases.

What happens to the turkeys?

• The birds are usually raised and selected by turkey producers who look for calm animals that can handle crowds, noise, and cameras without panicking.

• After the ceremony, they are transported to a farm, petting zoo, or university setting—recent examples include North Carolina State University and similar facilities—where they live out their remaining (often not very long, due to breeding) lives as minor celebrities.

TL;DR: Presidents pardon turkeys because a long‑running Thanksgiving photo‑op gradually evolved into a formal “pardon” ritual in 1989, and it stuck as a quirky mix of holiday cheer, symbolism, and political branding.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.