US President Joe Biden continued a 75-year tradition on Monday by pardoning a pair of Thanksgiving turkeys named after his favourite flavour of ice cream.
“The votes are in, they’ve been counted and verified,” Biden said, cracking jokes about his political party's better-than-expected performance in this month's mid-term elections.
He welcomed turkeys named 'Chocolate' and 'Chip' before hundreds of people gathered on the South Lawn in unseasonably cold weather.
“There’s no ballot stuffing. There’s no fowl play," the US President said.
"The only red wave this season’s gonna be if German shepherd Commander knocks over the cranberry sauce on our table." Commander is his dog.
'Chocolate' and 'Chip' were driven up from North Carolina on Saturday. They were checked into a room at the Willard hotel, near the White House, to await their visit with the president and his declaration of their freedom.