Meet Gobble and Waddle, two very lucky turkeys

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Two turkeys from eastern North Carolina made their public debut Monday ahead of their Presidential pardon.

The toms -- named Gobble and Waddle -- strutted through a press conference at the Willard Intercontinental luxury hotel blocks away from the White House.

The names of the birds are usually secret until the press conference hosted by the National Turkey Federation. However, the White House made the announcement early this year.

“This WAS the time when I was going to announce the names of these two lucky turkeys for the very first time,” Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain said with a laugh during the press conference. “But this is Washington, D.C., and true to form we’ve had a bit of a leak.”

Gobble and Waddle will spend Monday night in a luxury suite at the Willard, which costs around $400 a night.

“Our special guests arrived yesterday with a red carpet welcome and quickly settled in, I checked in on them this morning, I did a credit check as well,” hotel manager Jaap Boelens joked. “I noticed the mini bar was raided, and that’s totally fine.”

Gobble and Waddle are from Travis and Amanda Pittman’s farm in Wayne County, North Carolina. After President Donald Trump pardons them, the birds will live the rest of their days at North Carolina State University. 2022 Presidential pardon turkeys Chocolate and Chip also went to NC State after their pardons.

The first Presidential turkey pardon dates back to President Abraham Lincoln, but the annual tradition started with President George H.W. Bush in 1989.