Donald Trump’s four-word ‘abnormal’ comment to Melania | US | News
President Donald Trump’s private words to Melania Trump during the traditional turkey pardon ceremony have been revealed by professional lip reader Nicola Hickling.
As the duo took the stage to show mercy to turkeys Gobble and Waddle, Trump stepped forward after the First Lady stepped back for a moment. “I’m happy to follow you,” Hickling told Melania.
The exchange took place at the 78th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation. “Wow! Okay, okay, look at this… so it’s abnormal, right? … Is it normal then? How big do they get? Looks like a pretty fierce bird,” the President commented while pardoning the turkey named Gobble, according to Hickling.
While only one bird will attend the official pardon ceremony, both Gobble and Wade will be spared from the dinner table. The couple will spend their retirement in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
The traditionally joyous Thanksgiving occasion hasn’t stopped the President from taking aim at his political rivals. During the turkey pardon ceremony at the White House, the President discussed the issue with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
“I’m not going to tell my Pritzker joke, they have a sweet little joke,” he reportedly said.
“A speechwriter wrote a joke about his weight. But I never want to talk about his weight.”
Despite his insistence, Trump mentioned Pritzker’s weight seconds later.
“I never want to talk about 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,” she said.
Tuesday’s Türkiye Amnesty is a long-standing tradition in the United States.
The history of turkey pardons at the White House
The tradition of pardoning turkeys reportedly dates back to Abraham Lincoln’s administration; Some folklore stories state that the president’s young son asked him to donate the turkey intended for the Thanksgiving dinner table.
By 1920, national news was covering a competitive version of the turkey pardon; Here, a Texas turkey sent to then-President Woodrow Wilson in a White House-shaped box got into a big fight with a turkey from Kentucky.
Forgiveness in Türkiye became a tradition with the arrival of George H.W. in 1989.
Bush reinstated it, making it a key part of the White House holiday season.
