# Why does the president pardon a turkey? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079 "2009-11-27T00:30:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![doubled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@doubled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doubled)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079/1 "2009-11-27T00:30:17Z")
The wikipedia article is fascinating – this “ancient tradition” of pardoning a turkey actually goes back on to 1989. Everybody seems to think Hary Truman was the first to pardon a turkey, but it was actually the first president Bush. > **[National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Thanksgiving_Turkey_Presentation)** > > The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is a ceremony that takes place at the White House every year shortly before Thanksgiving. The president of the United States is presented with a live domestic turkey by the National Turkey Federation (NTF), usually males of the Broad Breasted White variety. The early years also included a joint presentation with the Poultry and Egg National Board. The ceremony dates back to the 1940s; these turkeys were usually slaughtered and eaten (with some excep... Even after reading that article, though, I still don’t understand _why_ the president pardoned a turkey. Was it supposed to show that he respected animals? (If so, why wouldn’t he just be a vegetarian?) Was it supposed to show that he didn’t want to waste food? (If so, why not donate the turkey to a hungry family instead of a petting zoo?) I’m assuming the act must have somehow been designed as a PR stunt to get more votes, but I don’t see how that works. Eating a turkey is simply not considered a bad thing by most americans. So WHY did the president first start with the turkey pardon? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079/2 "2009-11-27T00:43:23Z")
It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma: > **[Why do presidents pardon turkies? They're just going to eat a different one...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=541492)** > > I think the title pretty much says it all. In doing some research I’ve learned that turkeys have been pardoned since before Trueman and that when they get pardoned they go to Disneyland. No kidding. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079/3 "2009-11-27T01:08:45Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma: > [Why do presidents pardon turkies? They're just going to eat a different one instead. - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=541492) …stuffed in a duck which is wrapped with a turkey and crammed in an ostrich… ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079/4 "2009-11-27T09:39:48Z")
Why? To make the headlines and look like a good guy. I can see no other reason. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079/5 "2009-11-27T09:55:20Z")
It gives him a chance to play Oskar Schindler in an annual holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079/6 "2009-11-27T15:41:13Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It gives him a chance to play Oskar Schindler in an annual holocaust. Most cooks try not to burn the turkey. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-president-pardon-a-turkey/519079/7 "2009-11-27T19:30:11Z")
[moderating] Since we already have an [active thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=541492) with an almost identical title, I’m closing this one and directing folks over there. [/moderating] It really does help us to keep things organized if you do a quick scan of active threads–or better yet, a search–before starting a new one.