President Donald Trump transformed the annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony into a platform for political attacks, using the traditionally lighthearted Thanksgiving event to launch crude insults at Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson while discussing crime in the city.
The ceremony took place Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in the White House Rose Garden, where Trump pardoned two turkeys named Gobble and Waddle. However, the president quickly diverted from the ceremonial tradition to focus on public safety issues in Chicago, particularly referencing a recent violent incident on the city’s Blue Line train.
Trump directed some of his harshest criticism at Pritzker, repeatedly calling him “a big, fat slob” during his remarks. He told the Rose Garden audience that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was incompetent while launching into attacks on the governor’s weight.
Trump stated that the mayor was incompetent and described the governor as a “big, fat slob.” “He ought to invite us and say, ‘Please make Chicago safe.’ We’re gonna lose a great city if we don’t do it quickly.”
Trump claimed his administration could make Chicago safe within four to 10 weeks, proposing to deploy federal troops to the city. A federal judge had previously blocked National Guard deployment to Illinois. The president’s comments came amid an ongoing feud between himself and Illinois Democratic leadership over federal intervention in local law enforcement matters.
The president referenced a woman who was set on fire on a Chicago Blue Line train, an incident that reportedly occurred on November 17, 2025. According to Trump, the suspect in that case had 72 prior arrests. Court documents indicated a judge had removed the suspect’s electronic monitoring over the objection of prosecutors.
First Lady Melania Trump attended the ceremony, which marked the continuation of a White House tradition dating back decades. The turkeys, both reportedly weighing over 50 pounds, were among the largest ever presented for presidential pardoning.
Trump also used the occasion to criticize former President Joe Biden, claiming Biden had used an autopen for pardons. The president stated he had determined last year’s turkey pardons were invalid because of this alleged practice. Trump himself has used an autopen during his presidency, making the criticism particularly notable.
Beyond the turkey ceremony, Trump’s November pardons extended to other individuals, including Joseph Schwartz on Nov. 14, a nursing home tycoon convicted of fraud. Schwartz had paid nearly $1 million to lobbyists who appealed to the Trump administration on his behalf, according to reports.
The ongoing tension between Trump and Pritzker has been escalating for months. The governor has been a vocal Trump critic, previously calling the president a “wannabe dictator” in response to Trump’s threats to deploy federal forces to Chicago.
Pritzker responded to Trump’s Thanksgiving ceremony remarks not by addressing the personal insults but by issuing his own statement blaming Trump for rising Thanksgiving costs. The governor claimed the president’s economic policies and tariffs were forcing families to worry about increased holiday expenses rather than enjoying quality time together.
The turkey pardoning ceremony, typically a nonpartisan event that brings together Americans of different political backgrounds in a moment of levity before Thanksgiving, has evolved under Trump’s presidency. The event traditionally provides an opportunity for presidents to engage in light humor and demonstrate a softer side of leadership. This year’s ceremony included audience members who heard Trump’s detailed discussion of violent crime.
Trump’s focus on Chicago crime has been a recurring theme throughout his administration, with the president repeatedly characterizing the city as dangerous and in need of federal intervention. Local officials have consistently pushed back against these characterizations and rejected offers of federal law enforcement assistance, arguing that such intervention would be inappropriate and potentially unconstitutional.
The Attorney General Pam Bondi was present at the ceremony, where Trump jokingly directed questions about Biden’s pardons toward her. The inclusion of cabinet members and other political figures at what is traditionally a family-friendly event highlighted the increasingly political nature of ceremonial White House occasions.
As the holiday season arrives, the contrast between Trump’s combative rhetoric and the season’s traditional themes of gratitude and unity becomes a topic of discussion across political circles. The president’s willingness to use even ceremonial occasions for political attacks demonstrated his approach to the presidency and public communication.