I wanted to slaughter Obama's turkeys but lawyers told me pardon 'cannot under any circumstances be revoked': Trump takes another dig at his predecess

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[h=2]I wanted to slaughter Obama's pardoned turkeys but lawyers told me not to: Trump takes another dig at his predecessor as he presides over his first Thanksgiving presidential pardon[/h]

Before officially pardoning his first Thanksgiving Turkey, the Minnesota-bred Drumstick, on Tuesday,President Trump joked that he looked into revoking President Obama's turkey pardon from last year. Trump, standing alongside first lady Melania Trump and his 11-year-old son Barron, pointed out that in his first ten months in office he's worked to overturn the executive actions of his predecessor, President Obama. 'However, I have been informed by the White House counsel's office that Tater and Tot's pardon cannot, under any circumstances, be revoked,' the president joked, name-dropping the heir and the spare of last year's turkey pardon.

 

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[h=1]I wanted to slaughter Obama's turkeys but lawyers told me pardon 'cannot under any circumstances be revoked': Trump takes another dig at his predecessor as he presides over his first Thanksgiving presidential pardon[/h]

• President Trump took part in his first turkey pardoning as president Tuesday, appearing alongside Melania and Barron Trump
• Trump pardoned the Minnesota-bred Drumstick, who will live out the rest of his life at Virginia Tech alongside understudy Wishbone
• At the ceremony, Trump noted that he's been 'very active in overturning a number of executive action by my predecessor,' President Obama
• 
  
• However, upon checking with the White House counsel's office, Trump said he was informed he couldn't revoke the pardons of Tater and Tot from last year

 

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Before officially pardoning his first Thanksgiving Turkey, the Minnesota-bred Drumstick, on Tuesday,President Trump joked that he looked into revoking President Obama's turkey pardon from last year.
Trump, standing alongside first lady Melania Trump and his 11-year-old son Barron, pointed out that in his first ten months in office he's worked to overturn the executive actions of his predecessor, President Obama.
'However, I have been informed by the White House counsel's office that Tater and Tot's pardon cannot, under any circumstances, be revoked,' the president joked, name-dropping the heir and the spare of last year's turkey pardon.

 

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President Trump joked Tuesday that he tried to revoke the pardons for President Obama's still living pardoned turkeys, Tater and Tot, but White House counseled advised him against it

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President Trump (center) told a crowd at the White House today that he's going to be 'nice' and pardon a turkey named Drumstick. He was joined by 11-year-old Barron (left) and first lady Melania Trump (right)

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President Trump and first lady Melania Trump stand alongside Drumstick the turkey and the Wittenburg family, who raised the bird

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President Trump pardoned Drumstick, raised in Alexandria Minnesota by Carl Wittenburg (to Trump's left), along with wife Sharlene and sons Nate and Wyatt

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'Today I'm going to be a much nicer president,' Trump said, complimenting himself at the ceremony

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President Trump (left) attended Tuesday turkey pardoning ceremony with Barron Trump (center) and first lady Melania Trump. Drumstick the turkey was the lucky bird

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President (Trump), Barron Trump (center) and Melania Trump (right) later left Washington, DC and headed to the Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida

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President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump, disembark Air Force One as they arrive in Florida

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President Trump salutes a military member as he and First Lady Melania Trump (far right) disembark Air Force One Tuesday

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Melania donned autumnal colors and a leather skirt for the occasion

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Eleven-year-old Barron Trump (left), who helped his mother welcome the White House Christmas tree Monday, appeared alongside his parents at Tuesday's turkey pardoning

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Ladies in red: Tiffany Trump (left) and Ivanka Trump (right) hold hands with Ivanka's oldest Arabella (center) at the White House turkey pardoning ceremony on Tuesday

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First daughter Tiffany Trump (center) perches over pardoned turkey Drumstick, as Arabella Kushner (middle right) and Ivanka Trump (right) stand at her side

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The sisters Tiffany Trump (left) and Ivanka Trump (right) - who both now live in DC - greeted each other with a kiss

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Half-sisters Tiffany (left) and Ivanka (right) Trump coax Ivanka's daughter Arabella Kushner toward Drumstick the turkey

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First daughter Tiffany Trump moves away from Drumstick the turkey, as the large bird flaps its wings

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The Trump women - Ivanka Trump, Arabella Kushner and Tiffany Trump - head over to greet Drumstick the turkey

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First daughters Tiffany Trump (left) and Ivanka Trump (right) grab the hands of Ivanka's oldest Arabella Kushner (center) at Tuesday's turkey pardoning ceremony

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Ivanka Trump is seen with daughter Arabella, in matching red, Tuesday at the White House turkey pardoning in the Rose Garden

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Ivanka Trump is seen giving Drumstick, a Minnesota-raised turkey, a pet at her father's first presidential turkey pardoning of his administration

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President Trump's younger daughter Tiffany (left) is captured petting Drumstick, as Arabella (center) and Ivanka Trump (right) look on

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First daughter Ivanka Trump (left) is seen conserving with her husband Jared Kushner (right) at her father's first turkey pardon of his administration

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Tiffany Trump (left) sits alongside her niece and nephew Arabella (center left) and Joseph (center right) with mom Ivanka Trump (right) at their side

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Ivanka Trump (left) arrives Tuesday at the turkey pardoning ceremony with kids Joseph (center) and Arabella Kushner (right)

 

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Make an escape! Drumstick at one point flapped his wings as Tiffany approached

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The family is now off to Palm Beach for the Thanksgiving holiday

Trump, speaking for under 10 minutes, noted how the tradition of having a turkey presented to the president from the National Turkey Federation started 70 years ago during the administration of Harry S. Truman.
Truman, he noted, 'did not grant the pardon,' Trump said, describing the Democrat as a 'tough cookie.'
'Today I'm going to be a much nicer president,' Trump said, complimenting himself.
'Over the past 10 months, Melania and I have had the pleasure of welcoming many, many special visitors to the great White House,' Trumps said. 'We've hosted dozens of incredible world leaders, members of Congress and, along the way, a few very strange birds.'
'But we have yet to receive any visitors quite like our magnificent guest of honor today, Drumstick,' Trump said.

 

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'Drumstick, I think is going to be very happy,' Trump purred.
On hand at today's pardon was daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump, sitting alongside her husband, also a White House aide, Jared Kushner and daughter Arabella and son Joseph.
Tiffany Trump, who attends the nearby Georgetown University Law Center, was also on hand.
Carl Wittenburg, the National Turkey Foundation's chairman, who raised the birds, said Drumstick and Wishbone – the understudy – were selected from a flock of 80 for 'their character, their temperament, their showmanship and how they looked strutting their stuff.'
'So that's really what it gets down to,' Wittenburg told DailyMail.com. 'Can they handle the show.'
Trump called out the efforts of Wittenburg and his family, along with the local 4-H chapter who assisted them in raising the birds.
'And I want to say great work,' Trump said. 'Great jobs you guys.'
The two birds arrived in Washington, D.C., Sunday night and were put up in the lavish Willard Hotel, a turkey pardoning tradition.

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A festively dressed Ivanka Trump is captured leaving her residence Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C.

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Wishbone, the understudy for today's White House turkey pardoning, got to briefly strut his stuff in the press briefing room on Tuesday before the event

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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (top right) was on hand as National Turkey Federation Chairman Carl Wittenburg (left) introduces Wishbone to the press

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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' young son reaches out to pet Wishbone, the understudy for Tuesday's turkey pardon

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Both Wishbone and Drumstick will live out the rest of their lives at Virginia Tech, home of the HokieBird (back right)

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National Turkey Federation Chairman Carl Wittenburg, who grew Wishbone and Drumstick, welcomes the HokieBird, Virginia Tech's mascot, to a press conference at the Willard Hotel

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Wishbone and Drumstick show of their gobbling skills to reporters gathered at the Willard Hotel Monday morning in Washington

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President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump walk off of Marine One as they head to Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to head to Mar-A-Lago

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President Trump waves as he and his family board Air Force Once at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland

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After arriving in Palm Bach on Tuesday, the Trumps traveled by motorcade to nearby Mar-a-Lago (President Trump, Melania Trump and Barron Trump wave as they board Air Force One)

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The Willard Hotel houses the two turkeys to be pardoned nearly every year. It's a beautiful Beaux-Arts building located just a block down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House

On Monday, at a press conference at the Willard the birds' names were announced and the White House put up a Twitter poll for Americans to vote on which turkey should get the official pardon.
Both birds, the star and the understudy, will get to lives out the rest of their lives at the 'Gobbler's Rest' exhibit at Virginia Tech.
'Beautiful place,' Trump cooed.
Turkeys bred for slaughter are generally morbidly obese, with many of the presidents' pardoned turkeys living less than a year.
However, last year's birds, Tater and Tot, are still kicking it at Virginia Tech, which Trump noted before joking that he thought about yanking their pardon.
'Tater and Tot, you can rest easy,' Trump said.
As for this year's birds, Wittenburg said he could tell the birds apart, as Drumstick is taller.
On Twitter, the White House described Drumstick as having a 'tall and proud' strut and being a lover of classic rock, especially the band Journey.
Wishbone shuffles when he walks, the White House said, and enjoys country music, including hits by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
While Wishbone wasn't picked by the public, he also got a taste of fame Tuesday, appearing briefly alongside Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in the White House briefing room.
During the Obama years, the White House also offered an online poll to have Americans decide which turkey the president would choose.

 

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As Trump mentioned, American presidents were annually presented with a turkey starting in 1947, though the event didn't officially turn into a 'pardoning' ceremony until the Ronald Reagan years.
Reagan pardoned 'Charlie' the turkey in 1987.
President George H.W. Bush made it into an annual tradition when he took office in 1989.
And the tradition was respected through the Clinton and Bush 43 years.
President Obama tried to make the pardoning a family affair, having daughters Sasha and Malia participate for the first seven years he was in office.
Last year however, the girls, now in their teens, were replaced by younger models, with President Obama's nephews Aaron and Austin Robinson standing alongside the president as he pardoned Tot.
During the Obama years the turkeys also got star treatment, staying at the Willard most years, or at the W, the more modern luxury hotel next door.

 

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Ladies in red: Tiffany Trump joined her sister Ivanka and her niece Arabella at the White House's National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation on Tuesday

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Showing off her pins: Tiffany bared her legs in a short dress that was completely covered by her red and pink tweed coat

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Auntie: The 24-year-old law student caught up with Ivanka's children Arabella and Joseph

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Matching outfits: Tiffany and Ivanka opted for black pumps while little Arabella wore black riding boots

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Hugs and kisses: Ivanka greeted her only sister with a kiss on Tuesday afternoon

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Look of love: Tiffany appeared to be thrilled to be reunited with her sister ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday