00:00Well, good morning.
00:03They tell me there's 2,500 people here today.
00:08Looking for a pardon.
00:12Well, good morning and welcome
00:13to a wonderful White House tradition.
00:16We have a lot of folks joining us today,
00:18members of my cabinet,
00:20members of the White House staff and their families.
00:23We've got students from 4-H programs
00:25and Future Farmers of America.
00:26Where are you?
00:29And, of course, a special thanks to everyone
00:32at the National Turkey Federation.
00:35Leslie Olden, President of the Federation.
00:39Leslie, where are you?
00:40There you are.
00:44And John Zimmerman, Chairman of the Federation
00:46and his family from Northfield, Minnesota.
00:48John.
00:52I was in Northfield last year with our —
00:54last year with my Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack,
00:58and our great friend, the Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz,
01:03talking about our historic investment
01:05in transforming rural America.
01:08Back in Minnesota,
01:10John's been a turkey grower for 35 years.
01:14He's raised over 4 million turkeys.
01:19Whoa.
01:21And with the help of his 9-year-old son, Grant,
01:24they've raised two special guests we're honoring today.
01:27Peach and Blossom.
01:31Let's bring Peach up to join us.
01:39Hey, tell me, Peach weighs about 42 pounds?
01:47What do you say, Peach?
01:49Peach is making a last-minute plea here.
01:51The two turkeys are named after a Delaware State flower,
01:56the Peach Blossom.
01:58And by the way, Delaware has a long history of growing peaches.
02:02In fact, the peach pie in our state is one of my favorites.
02:05It's a state dessert.
02:08And Peach Blossom flower also symbolizes resilience,
02:12which is, quite frankly, fitting for today.
02:17This White House tradition began
02:20when Turkey was presented to President Truman.
02:23And that President, then President George H.W.
02:26Bush, began pardoning turkeys.
02:29In the last four years, I've had the honor
02:30to continue that tradition by pardoning peanut butter
02:34and jelly, chocolate and chip, Liberty and Bell.
02:39And today, Peach and Blossom will join the free birds
02:44of the United States of America.
02:48Born this past July at the Zimmerman Family Farm,
02:52raised by the-
02:53Yeah, I hear you.
02:56Peach wants to speak a little bit here.
02:58Raised by the family with the help of neighboring children
03:02who helped the turkey get ready for this very moment.
03:05According to experts, Peach weighs 41 pounds
03:10and loves to eat hot dish and tater tots and cross-country skis.
03:17You know, dreams to see-
03:20But the real dream he has is to see the Northern Lights,
03:24I'm told.
03:25He lives by the motto, keep calm and gobble on.
03:32Meanwhile, Blossom weighs 40 pounds,
03:35loves to eat cheese curds and watch boxing.
03:38Dreams of a visit to visit each one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes.
03:43Lives by the motto, no foul play, just Minnesota nice.
03:53They just finished a two-day road trip
03:55from Minnesota to Washington.
03:57By the way, you have chairs, sit down.
03:59I forgot you had chairs.
04:05I'm sorry.
04:07I started thinking about the arduous trip they made.
04:10You guys are still standing.
04:14That trip is 1,100 miles, takes 16.5 hours.
04:19Threw it all. They stayed calm.
04:21They gobbled on and still gobbling.
04:24They were- They were- They were staying nice
04:31listening to their favorite music,
04:33which apparently includes the song,
04:35Living on a Prayer.
04:39Well, fellas, your prayer is going to be answered today.
04:42Based on your temperament and commitment
04:44to being productive members of society,
04:47I hereby pardon Peach M. Blossom.
04:58They'll now head back to Farm America Minnesota
05:00Center for Agriculture and Interpretation
05:03to serve as educational ambassadors
05:06of America's top turkey-growing state
05:08and inspire the next generation of agricultural students.
05:12Congratulations.
05:14Let me close on a more serious note.
05:16This event marks the official start of the holiday season
05:19here in Washington.
05:21It's also my last time to speak here as your president
05:24during this season and give thanks and gratitude.
05:28So let me say to you, it's been the honor of my life.
05:33I'm forever grateful.
05:34Later today, my wife Jill and I will travel
05:37to Staten Island, New York for a Friendsgiving
05:40with members of the Coast Guard and their families
05:43to demonstrate our gratitude for their service
05:46and sacrifice like my son.
05:53We're also keeping our hearts, those who have lost so much,
05:59who will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving dinner table
06:03tonight or, excuse me, Thursday night.
06:06May we use this moment, take time from our busy lives
06:11and focus on what matters most, our families.
06:14My dad used to have an expression,
06:15families are the beginning, the middle,
06:18and the end, our friends and our neighbors.
06:22And the fact that we're blessed to live in America,
06:26the greatest country on Earth,
06:28and that's not hyperbole, we are.
06:31No matter what, in America, we never give up.
06:34We keep going. We keep the faith.
06:38We just have to remember who we are.
06:40We're the United States of America.
06:41There's nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity
06:44when we do it together.
06:45So, Happy Thanksgiving, America.
06:47God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.
06:52Don't miss out. Log on to OneIndia.com for more updates.
Comments