Obama gives thanks to daughters for indulging his antics at turkey pardon.
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By Bénédicte KERG on 27 November 2015, 15:17 - TV window - Permalink
Sasha and Malia Obama laughed along with father’s puns during Thanksgiving tradition in which the president ‘pardoned’ turkeys named ‘Honest’ and ‘Abe’. They are not the only teenagers who find public outings with dad – and listening to his bad jokes – something of an ordeal.
But Malia and Sasha Obama couldn’t resist a burst of giggles on Wednesday when their father plunged new depths of silliness during the annual Thanksgiving turkey “pardon” at the White House.
“It is hard to believe this is my seventh year of pardoning a turkey,” Barack Obama told an audience in the Rose Garden. “Time flies – even if turkeys don’t.”
It was a moment of warmth on a chilly afternoon that suggested the Obama girls, who have looked less than thrilled to be part of the tradition in past years, realise that sometimes parents just have to be humored.
Obama himself seemed to acknowledge as much when, apparently going off script, he said: “I am going to publicly thank Malia and Sasha for once again standing here with me.”
There was applause from onlookers, knowing parents doubtlessly among them. “They do this solely because it makes me feel good, not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing and, you know, as you get older you appreciate when your kids just indulge you like this, so I’m very grateful.”
Watched by his daughters, Obama pardoned a turkey named “Abe”, who gobbled right on cue, and also granted absolution to a back-up bird, “Honest”. Both turkeys will be spared the dinner plate and live out their days on a nearby farm in Virginia.
Both turkeys hail from California, are 18 weeks old and weigh about 42lb each. Their names were chosen from submissions entered by schoolchildren in California.
Obama declared: “Abe is now a free bird. He is Totus: turkey of the United States.”
He explained: “America is after all a country of second chances and this turkey has earned a second chance to live out the rest of his life comfortably on 1,000 acres of open land complete with a barn called the ‘the White House on TurkeyHill’, which actually sounds pretty good.”
After Wednesday’s ceremony, Obama placed a grateful hand on Sasha’s back. Father and daughters retired to the White House, chatting and laughing. “It was fun,” Malia was heard to say later. The teenagers’ trial was over for another year – and there is only one more to go.
Sasha and Malia Obama laughed along with father’s puns during Thanksgiving tradition in which the president ‘pardoned’ turkeys named ‘Honest’ and ‘Abe’. They are not the only teenagers who find public outings with dad – and listening to his bad jokes – something of an ordeal.
But Malia and Sasha Obama couldn’t resist a burst of giggles on Wednesday when their father plunged new depths of silliness during the annual Thanksgiving turkey “pardon” at the White House.
“It is hard to believe this is my seventh year of pardoning a turkey,” Barack Obama told an audience in the Rose Garden. “Time flies – even if turkeys don’t.”
It was a moment of warmth on a chilly afternoon that suggested the Obama girls, who have looked less than thrilled to be part of the tradition in past years, realise that sometimes parents just have to be humored.
But Malia and Sasha Obama couldn’t resist a burst of giggles on Wednesday when their father plunged new depths of silliness during the annual Thanksgiving turkey “pardon” at the White House.
“It is hard to believe this is my seventh year of pardoning a turkey,” Barack Obama told an audience in the Rose Garden. “Time flies – even if turkeys don’t.”
It was a moment of warmth on a chilly afternoon that suggested the Obama girls, who have looked less than thrilled to be part of the tradition in past years, realise that sometimes parents just have to be humored.
Obama himself seemed to acknowledge as much when, apparently going off script, he said: “I am going to publicly thank Malia and Sasha for once again standing here with me.”
There was applause from onlookers, knowing parents doubtlessly among them. “They do this solely because it makes me feel good, not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing and, you know, as you get older you appreciate when your kids just indulge you like this, so I’m very grateful.”
Watched by his daughters, Obama pardoned a turkey named “Abe”, who gobbled right on cue, and also granted absolution to a back-up bird, “Honest”. Both turkeys will be spared the dinner plate and live out their days on a nearby farm in Virginia.
Both turkeys hail from California, are 18 weeks old and weigh about 42lb each. Their names were chosen from submissions entered by schoolchildren in California.
Obama declared: “Abe is now a free bird. He is Totus: turkey of the United States.”
He explained: “America is after all a country of second chances and this turkey has earned a second chance to live out the rest of his life comfortably on 1,000 acres of open land complete with a barn called the ‘the White House on TurkeyHill’, which actually sounds pretty good.”
After Wednesday’s ceremony, Obama placed a grateful hand on Sasha’s back. Father and daughters retired to the White House, chatting and laughing. “It was fun,” Malia was heard to say later. The teenagers’ trial was over for another year – and there is only one more to go.