Biden pardons turkeys but his bizarre claim about Delaware's chickens raises eyebrows

The US is gearing up for Thanksgiving celebrations and US President Joe Biden is celebrating his party's better-than-expected performance in the midterm elections. During the pre-Thanksgiving address at the White House, US President Joe Biden said, “The votes are in. They’ve been counted and verified. There’s no ballot stuffing, there’s no 'fowl' play." He went on to crack a joke at the expense of his political opponents by saying, "the only red wave this season is going to be if the German Shepherd Commander knocks over the cranberry sauce." During his remarks, Biden placed a mic in front of a turkey and said "you wanna talk?"

Biden, who is from Delaware, claimed that his state has the highest number of chickens but no turkeys. This prompted some social media users to fact-check the president and point out that although Delaware has a significant poultry industry, it certainly is not the state with the highest number of chickens. Agricultural and rural states like Iowa have more chickens. During his remarks, Biden joked that he will keep his speech short as “nobody likes it when the turkey gets cold.” The tradition of pardoning turkeys on the eve of Thanksgiving goes back to Abraham Lincoln's presidency. A report from CNN speculates that the tradition started when Abraham Lincoln's son asked him to pardon a turkey which was slated to become their Thanksgiving dinner. 

Tradition of pardoning turkeys

It did not become a continuous tradition as many presidents like Harry Truman decided that they preferred turkey for dinner. Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon did not officially pardon turkeys. President John F. Kennedy in 1963 pardoned the turkey and from the tenure of President George H.W. Bush in 1989, pardoning became the norm. 

The two turkeys pardoned this year are named Chocolate and Chip. The ones pardoned last year were named Peanut Butter and Jelly. “Eventually, Peanut Butter and Jelly were selected based on their temperament, appearance and, I suspect, vaccination status. Yes, instead of getting basted, these two turkeys are getting boosted,” he had said. Amidst all the jokes about turkeys, it is easy to forget that the US is suffering from avian flu, which has resulted in the death of 50 million birds and resulted in food inflation. The American Farm Bureau has found that an average thanksgiving dinner will cost a family 20 percent more, compared to last year.