President Joe Biden pardoned two White House turkeys on Monday, continuing a presidential tradition.
The two turkeys were named “Chocolate” and “Chip,” prompting the president to talk about ice cream.
“Of course, Chocolate is my favorite ice cream,” he said after talking about the turkeys.
He spoke briefly and moved over to the two turkeys pardoning them immediately.
“I hereby pardon Chocolate and Chip,” Biden said before the turkeys could be put on the table for the official pardon.
After one of the turkeys was put on the table, Biden stood for a while petting them and tried to speak for them.
“He says, ‘You had to tell me that?'” He said after pardoning the turkey again. “Yeah, yeah you are. Yeah, I’m serious.”
“He says, ‘I don’t know man, you didn’t have to pardon me, I knew I was pardoned,” Biden continued.
He marveled at the size of the turkeys and talked about his home state.
“We have more chickens than anybody in the nation in Delaware, but we don’t have turkeys,” he said. The president also asked the two turkey handlers how many turkeys they raised per year.
“Nine and a half million turkeys, I tell you what, that’s like some of the countries I’ve been to,” Biden said before pausing and sticking the microphone in the turkey’s direction.
“You want to talk?” he asked.
The president noted that he kept his dog Commander up on the White House balcony with his two grandchildren.
“I was worried if he came down here with you all, he would do nothing but kiss you and lick you,” he said. “He may go after the turkeys so I kept him up there.”
When his dog barked from the balcony, Biden said, “Don’t let him jump.”
The president also tried to make a few turkey jokes from his teleprompter.
“The votes are in they’ve been counted and verified, there’s no ballot stuffing, there’s no foul play, the only red wave this season is gonna be if German Shepard Commander knocks over the cranberry sauce on our table,” he said.