--- title: President Trump Pardons Drumstick the Thanksgiving Turkey description: On Tuesday, President Trump bestowed the honor of an official presidential pardon on turkey Drumstick, part of annual tradition. canonical: https://time.com/5033659/trump-turkey-pardon-reax/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-21T18:40:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:32:32.500Z og:title: The Internet Has Feelings About Trump's Turkey Pardon og:description: It's Drumstick's lucky day og:url: https://time.com/5033659/trump-turkey-pardon-reax/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8c161176ecffce1/6988e69fe76ad25982630064/trump-turkey-pardon-drumstick.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5568 og:image:height: 3132 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-TRUMP-TURKEY og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Internet Has Feelings About Trump's Turkey Pardon twitter:description: It's Drumstick's lucky day twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8c161176ecffce1/6988e69fe76ad25982630064/trump-turkey-pardon-drumstick.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Internet Has Feelings About Trump's Presidential Turkey Pardon > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ff8c98a9-9cb2-4881-95d1-b482c095c1ee&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BDio8rFA.m3u8) (1:08)  _Published 2017-11-21. President Donald Trump pardons the national Thanksgiving turkey at the White House._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 21, 2017 6:40 PM UTC President Donald Trump pardons the national Thanksgiving turkey at the White House.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 21, 2017 6:40 PM UTC Tuesday was Drumstick’s lucky day, as the 47-pound turkey was bestowed with an [official presidential pardon](http://time.com/5032154/turkey-pardon-2017/) from President Donald Trump in the White House’s Rose Garden. Visitors and press assembled hours before the big moment, curious if the honor would go to Drumstick or his poultry compatriot, Wishbone, who had also been sent to Washington, D.C. for [the annual occasion.](http://time.com/4575217/presidential-turkey-pardon/) The two turkeys enjoyed an evening at a local four-star hotel thanks to their sponsors, the National Turkey Federation, and spent the moments before the pardoning getting [serenaded by a band](https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/933029948868227072) and visiting [the White House briefing room.](https://twitter.com/CLH45/status/933008687790161921) The White House put it up [to an online poll](https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/932648144348868610) to see which of the two would receive the ultimate on-air honor; 60% of the votes went to Drumstick. Both of the birds, however, will now head off to Virginia Tech’s “Gobbler’s Rest” to live out the rest of their days in slaughter-free peace. But the internet has plenty to say about this year’s pardoning shenanigans, regardless of the outcome — including Trump’s jokes about Obama’s own pardon last year (to Tater and Tot). > [](https://twitter.com/Scavino45/status/933037008158646272) > [](https://twitter.com/smpage/status/933035114220593152) > [](https://twitter.com/chiglinsky/status/933039381518147584) > [](https://twitter.com/daniellevalore/status/933031044118450176) > [](https://twitter.com/utahbug/status/933035722503634944) > [](https://twitter.com/pete%5Fwells/status/933034795466133504) > [](https://twitter.com/ashleyfeinberg/status/933035814128406530) > [](https://twitter.com/morningmoneyben/status/933036119029174276) > [](https://twitter.com/ThomasJonHarris/status/933038766364782593) ## Transcript [00:00] As many of you know, I have been very active in over [00:03] turning a number of executive actions by my predeceasing. [00:08] However, I have been informed by the White House [00:12] council's office that [ UNKNOWN ] pardons cannot, [00:17] under any circumstances, be revoked. So [00:21] we're not going to revoke. So Taylor and [ UNKNOWN ], [00:25] you can rest easy. [ NOISE ]. How heavy is that bird? [00:27] Thirty- six pounds. Thirty- six pounds. It's a big bird. Do I [00:28] have to touch it? [ NOISE ]. Wow. [ LAUGH ]. I feel so good [00:29] about myself doing this. [ LAUGH ]. [00:33] Are you [00:46] ready Drumstick? [ LAUGH ]. Drumstick, [00:51] you are hereby pardoned. 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