Turkeys make their public debut ahead of Trump pardoning

by TheHill.com - 11/25/19 11:47 AM ET

The turkeys poised to appear at an annual pardoning by President Trump now have names: Bread and Butter.

The names of the pair of gobbling birds were revealed at a Monday news conference at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington.

For the 12th year, the lucky feathered creatures stayed as guests at the luxury hotel ahead of the turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House.

“They’re very comfortable — had a wonderful night’s stay with us,” Willard InterContinental general manager Markus Platzer said Monday, as Bread and Butter strutted their stuff in front of him.

The White House had shared images of the two birds at the hotel being wheeled around in a luggage cart, being greeted at the reception desk on a red carpet, and making themselves at home on white sheet beds.

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The Presidential Turkeys have arrived in DC! After their trek from North Carolina, the two birds are settled in at The Willard Hotel and are resting up for tomorrow's ceremony. Tune in at 11 a.m. ET to learn their names and vote for which bird should be pardoned!

A post shared by The White House (@whitehouse) on Nov 25, 2019 at 7:44am PST

National Turkey Federation Chairman Kerry Doughty said his group presented 15 sets of potential names to the commander in chief and Melania Trump to choose from. “The president and first lady chose one of the names we submitted,” Doughty said.

The public is able to vote on the White House’s website on whether Bread or Butter will be named the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The winner is set to receive a turkey pardon from Trump at a Rose Garden ceremony on Tuesday (although traditionally both animals are spared from ending up on the Thanksgiving table.)

The White House turkey pardon is an annual Thanksgiving tradition that’s said to date back to the days of Abraham Lincoln.

Tags Donald Trump Melania Trump