Trump skips turkey jokes, gives thanks for virus vaccines

WASHINGTON — Nostalgia was in and jokes were out Tuesday as President Donald Trump offered a reprieve to a pair of meaty turkeys at the traditional Thanksgiving turkey pardon ceremony at the White House.

The National Turkey Federation presented the White House with two birds, Corn and Cob. Corn was declared the national Thanksgiving turkey, though both will retire to a new home at Iowa State University.

It’s not the first time the typically light-hearted turkey pardon ceremony has taken place in a tense time for the nation.

This time, the ceremony came amid a global pandemic and as Trump refuses to concede he lost his reelection bid. In his remarks, Trump cited the vaccines that could soon receive emergency approval from U.S. regulators.

“We give thanks for the vaccines and therapies that will soon end the pandemic,” Trump said. He did not reference the recent surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases in many parts of the country.

The practice of sending a turkey to a farm became the norm under President Ronald Reagan.