President Joe Biden pardons Thanksgiving turkeys at White House (8 images)

By Wade Sheridan

President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys from a farm in Minnesota at the White House in Washington on Monday. The first documented turkey pardon f0or Thanksgiving was given by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The event became popular when President George H.W. Bush pardoned a turkey in 1989.

President Joe Biden (R) gestures during ceremony to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey, Liberty, at the White House in Washington on November 20, 2023. Biden was joined by Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation (C) and Jose Rojas, vice president of Jennie-O Turkey Store. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI

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The annual holiday tradition spares the turkeys from a family's carving table. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI

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Biden asked the crowd whether he should spare the birds, named Liberty and Bell in honor of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, which served as the headquarters for his 2020 campaign. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI

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The turkeys, Liberty and Bell, hail from a farm in Minnesota. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI

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