President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys named Liberty and Bell on Monday, November 20, 2023. The turkeys were raised in a Minnesota barn and were selected for their outgoing personalities.
The ceremony took place on the White House South Lawn and included jokes about Biden's age. The turkeys will retire to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences will receive them.
The tradition of pardoning turkeys began in 1947 when President Harry Truman was presented with a National Thanksgiving Turkey by the National Turkey Federation. The first presidential pardon of a turkey was in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln spared a live turkey that was brought to the presidential residence for Christmas.
