President Obama pardoned the National Thanksgiving Turkey on Wednesday at the White House in what he joked he was sure would be the “most talked about executive action this month.”
The National Thanksgiving Turkey named Cheese and an alternate turkey named Mac, were chosen from a flock of 66 hatched in July and raised at Cooper Farms in Ohio.
The chairman of the National Turkey Federation is responsible for raising the presidential turkey flock each year. Gary Cooper and his family accompanied the birds on their nine-hour road trip to meet their fate.
The 50-pound turkeys arrived in Washington, D.C. on Monday and have spent the week greeting the press and living it up in a custom room at the historic Willard Hotel.
After the pardoning ceremony, the turkeys will live out the rest of their days at Morven Park, a historic estate in Leesburg, Virginia.
Last year’s pardoned turkeys, Caramel and Popcorn, also went to Morven Park, though only Caramel is still gobbling.Popcorn died over the summer.
