US president jokes about Biden, Pritzker and cost of living
“The people of Chicago want us to go there,” Trump said. “[Crime] “It’s out of control, the mayor is incompetent and the governor is a fat idiot.”
Warm murmurs of laughter rose from the Rose Garden crowd. But Trump isn’t done with Pritzker.
Trump with First Lady Melania Trump. The US president used his own sense of humor when pardoning Gobble, a 50-pound bird from North Carolina.Credit: access point
“I made a little Pritzker joke. I was going to talk about Pritzker and his greatness. But when I talk about Pritzker, I get angry because he doesn’t let us do the job. So I won’t tell my Pritzker joke,” he said.
“Some speechwriters wrote jokes about his weight. But I never want to talk about his weight. I don’t talk about people being fat. I refuse to talk about the fact that he’s a fat slob. I’m not talking about that.”
While Gobble reacted by swallowing, Trump said, “You are hereby pardoned unconditionally.”Credit: Bloomberg
“In the meantime, I’d like to lose a few pounds, too. I’m not going to lose weight for Thanksgiving either, I can tell you that.”
Trump joked that the turkeys should be named Chuck and Nancy, a reference to Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, or sent to the infamous mega-prison in El Salvador, where the administration deported nearly 250 Venezuelans earlier this year.
Under pressure to talk more about cost-of-living concerns affecting average Americans, the president also unveiled a list of goods he says will be cheaper this Thanksgiving: turkey, potatoes, ham, eggs and gasoline.
The modern tradition of the president pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey dates back to 1989 under George H. W. Bush.Credit: Bloomberg
In fact, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, the wholesale price of turkey meat has increased compared to last year. But many supermarkets offer deep discounts on turkeys, a reliable loss leader, to attract customers into the store.
The modern tradition of the president pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey began in 1989 under George H.W. Bush, although John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan also donated the birds rather than sending them to the dinner table.
Trump joked that the turkeys could be sent to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador, where his administration has deported Venezuelans.Credit: Bloomberg
Take notes directly from our foreign country reporters about things that make headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What’s on in the World Newsletter.