Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon To Become Trump's First Public Appearance In Several Days

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2020) The traditional Thanksgiving turkey pardon that will take place on Tuesday, according to the White House schedule, will become US President Donald Trump's fifth official appearance since the election.

Trump has made four official appearances since November 3, the last one was on Friday, when the president held a news conference dedicated to the topic of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ahead of the Tuesday pardoning, two turkeys, named Corn and Cob, are staying at the Washington D.C. Willard Hotel, close to the White House.

The turkeys were raised by the National Turkey Foundation's (NTF) chairman and Iowa turkey farmer Ron Kardel.

"Now introducing your 2020 National Thanksgiving Turkeys, Corn and Cob! Corn and Cob received their official welcome from NTF Chairman Ron Kardel and are very excited for the chance to visit the @WhiteHouse Rose Garden tomorrow," NTF said on Twitter on Monday.

According to NTF, both turkeys will receive a pardon, but only one of them will be named the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The White House is running an online poll for people to choose between the two birds.

The American tradition of sending turkeys to US presidents for the Thanksgiving holidays dates back to the 19th century. The first official Thanksgiving turkey pardoning was performed by US President George H.W. Bush in 1989.

Since 2016, all unpardoned turkeys have gone to the "Gobblers Rest" exhibit at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia.