President Joe Biden kicked off his final holiday season in the White House with a mix of cherished traditions and heartfelt moments. In a festive South Lawn ceremony, he pardoned two turkeys, Peach and Blossom, as part of the Thanksgiving tradition, sharing stories about resilience and gratitude. The festivities didn’t end there, as the president also lit the National Christmas Tree, officially marking the start of the holiday season.
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#BidenHolidayTradition #TurkeyPardon2024 #WhiteHouseChristmas #PeachAndBlossom #HolidaySeason #NationalTreeLighting #ThanksgivingTradition #BidenFarewell #FestiveSpirit #MilitaryFamilies #HolidayReflection #ChristmasAtTheWhiteHouse #PeachAndBlossomPardon #WhiteHouseCeremonies #BidenLastHoliday
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NewsTranscript
00:00Well, good morning.
00:03They tell me there's 2,500 people here today.
00:08Looking for a pardon.
00:12Well, good morning and welcome
00:13to a wonderful White House tradition.
00:16We have a lot of folks joining us today,
00:18members of my cabinet,
00:20members of the White House staff and their families.
00:23We've got students from 4-H programs
00:25and Future Farmers of America.
00:26Where are you?
00:29And, of course, a special thanks to everyone
00:32at the National Turkey Federation.
00:35Leslie Olden, President of the Federation.
00:39Leslie, where are you?
00:40There you are.
00:44And John Zimmerman, Chairman of the Federation
00:46and his family from Northfield, Minnesota.
00:48John.
00:52I was in Northfield last year with our —
00:54last year with my Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack,
00:58and our great friend, the Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz,
01:03talking about our historic investment
01:05in transforming rural America.
01:08Back in Minnesota,
01:10John's been a turkey grower for 35 years.
01:14He's raised over 4 million turkeys.
01:19Whoa.
01:21And with the help of his 9-year-old son, Grant,
01:24they've raised two special guests we're honoring today.
01:27Peach and Blossom.
01:31Let's bring Peach up to join us.
01:39Hey, tell me, Peach weighs about 42 pounds?
01:47What do you say, Peach?
01:49Peach is making a last-minute plea here.
01:51The two turkeys are named after a Delaware State flower,
01:56the Peach Blossom.
01:58And by the way, Delaware has a long history of growing peaches.
02:02In fact, the peach pie in our state is one of my favorites.
02:05It's a state dessert.
02:08And Peach Blossom flower also symbolizes resilience,
02:12which is, quite frankly, fitting for today.
02:17This White House tradition began
02:20when Turkey was presented to President Truman.
02:23And that President, then President George H.W.
02:26Bush, began pardoning turkeys.
02:29In the last four years, I've had the honor
02:30to continue that tradition by pardoning peanut butter
02:34and jelly, chocolate and chip, Liberty and Bell.
02:39And today, Peach and Blossom will join the free birds
02:44of the United States of America.
02:48Born this past July at the Zimmerman Family Farm,
02:52raised by the-
02:53Yeah, I hear you.
02:56Peach wants to speak a little bit here.
02:58Raised by the family with the help of neighboring children
03:02who helped the turkey get ready for this very moment.
03:05According to experts, Peach weighs 41 pounds
03:10and loves to eat hot dish and tater tots and cross-country skis.
03:17You know, dreams to see-
03:20But the real dream he has is to see the Northern Lights,
03:24I'm told.
03:25He lives by the motto, keep calm and gobble on.
03:32Meanwhile, Blossom weighs 40 pounds,
03:35loves to eat cheese curds and watch boxing.
03:38Dreams of a visit to visit each one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes.
03:43Lives by the motto, no foul play, just Minnesota nice.
03:53They just finished a two-day road trip
03:55from Minnesota to Washington.
03:57By the way, you have chairs, sit down.
03:59I forgot you had chairs.
04:05I'm sorry.
04:07I started thinking about the arduous trip they made.
04:10You guys are still standing.
04:14That trip is 1,100 miles, takes 16.5 hours.
04:19Threw it all. They stayed calm.
04:21They gobbled on and still gobbling.
04:24They were- They were- They were staying nice
04:31listening to their favorite music,
04:33which apparently includes the song,
04:35Living on a Prayer.
04:39Well, fellas, your prayer is going to be answered today.
04:42Based on your temperament and commitment
04:44to being productive members of society,
04:47I hereby pardon Peach M. Blossom.
04:58They'll now head back to Farm America Minnesota
05:00Center for Agriculture and Interpretation
05:03to serve as educational ambassadors
05:06of America's top turkey-growing state
05:08and inspire the next generation of agricultural students.
05:12Congratulations.
05:14Let me close on a more serious note.
05:16This event marks the official start of the holiday season
05:19here in Washington.
05:21It's also my last time to speak here as your president
05:24during this season and give thanks and gratitude.
05:28So let me say to you, it's been the honor of my life.
05:33I'm forever grateful.
05:34Later today, my wife Jill and I will travel
05:37to Staten Island, New York for a Friendsgiving
05:40with members of the Coast Guard and their families
05:43to demonstrate our gratitude for their service
05:46and sacrifice like my son.
05:53We're also keeping our hearts, those who have lost so much,
05:59who will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving dinner table
06:03tonight or, excuse me, Thursday night.
06:06May we use this moment, take time from our busy lives
06:11and focus on what matters most, our families.
06:14My dad used to have an expression,
06:15families are the beginning, the middle,
06:18and the end, our friends and our neighbors.
06:22And the fact that we're blessed to live in America,
06:26the greatest country on Earth,
06:28and that's not hyperbole, we are.
06:31No matter what, in America, we never give up.
06:34We keep going. We keep the faith.
06:38We just have to remember who we are.
06:40We're the United States of America.
06:41There's nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity
06:44when we do it together.
06:45So, Happy Thanksgiving, America.
06:47God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.
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