The Latest: Trump’s Thanksgiving turkey pardon arrives during precarious political moment

President Donald Trump is bestowing ceremonial pardons on two turkeys and then flying to his private Florida resort on Tuesday to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday interlude during what has been a turbulent and uncertain chapter of his second term.

The turkey pardon, bestowed this year to birds Waddle and Gobble, is a presidential tradition dating back decades.

But Thanksgiving may not provide Trump with much political respite after Democrats won sweeping victories in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere earlier this month.

In Washington, the president faces the possibility of a splintering Republican coalition ahead of next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. Abroad, Trump is struggling to advance a plan to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while the U.S. military is poised to target Venezuela with military strikes.

Holiday meals, meanwhile, could cost more this year despite the president’s insistence otherwise – a reminder of persistent frustration with elevated prices.

Here’s the latest:

Trump claimed at the annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony that “we haven’t had a murder in six months,” referring to Washington, D.C.

But that’s not true.

There have been 61 homicides in Washington since May 25, 2025, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The city has seen 125 total in 2025 thus far.

Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington in August in an effort to curb violent crime. A federal judge on Thursday ordered the president to end the deployment, but the ruling is unlikely to be the final word by the courts, Trump or local leaders.

The president has pardoned two North Carolina turkeys, “Gobble” and “Waddle” – although “Waddle” was MIA for the ceremony.

“Gobble, I just want to tell you this – very important – you are hereby unconditionally pardoned,” Trump said, drawing applause from the Rose Garden crowd following remarks.

He then reached over to give the plump bird a pet.

President Donald Trump stands next to the national Thanksgiving turkey during a pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Who would want to harm this beautiful bird,” Trump was overheard saying. It wasn’t clear exactly what had happened to Waddle, the second turkey set for reprieve.

“Waddle, by the way, is missing in action, but that’s OK. We’ll pretend Waddle is here,” Trump said.

The annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony took a dark turn Tuesday as the president used the occasion to rail against crime in Chicago and insult Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

As he touted the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., Trump complained about being blocked from doing the same in Chicago.

“Gov Pritzker, if you’re listening, let’s get your act together,” he said, while calling the governor a “big fat slob.”

“I refuse to talk about the fact that he’s a fat slob. I don’t mention it,” Trump went on, before adding that he would like to lose a few pounds, too.

President Donald Trump speaks during a pardoning ceremony for the national Thanksgiving turkeys Waddle and Gobble in the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Trump isn’t letting a holiday tradition pass without taking a shot at his predecessor, Joe Biden.

As he was participating in the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon ceremony at the White House, Trump claimed that Biden had used an autopen for last year’s turkey pardon, which he claimed therefore made them “totally invalid.”

He went on to joke that “Peach” and “Blossom,” the turkeys pardoned by Biden, were on their way to be processed, but that he was officially pardoning them along with this year’s birds.

“I think we’re getting very close to a deal. We’ll find out,” Trump said in aside during the annual White House turkey pardon to mark the Thanksgiving holiday. He added, “I thought that would have been an easier one, but I think we’re making progress.”

Trump’s comments came after U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met earlier Tuesday with Russian officials for several hours in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to discuss the emerging U.S.-authored proposal.

The Department of Homeland Security says the Biden administration prioritized speed and quantity over strict vetting when it came to admitting refugees into the country and that’s why they’re conducting a review of all refugees who entered during the Biden years.

The Associated Press reported Monday that the Trump administration is going to review all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration and would immediately suspend green card approvals for refugees who came to the U.S. during that time.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for Homeland Security, said in a statement Tuesday: “Corrective action is now being taken to ensure those who are present in the United States deserve to be here.”

Advocates who work with refugees say that they are the most vetted and scrutinized of all immigrants coming to the U.S. People coming through the refugee system – which is distinct from asylum-seekers who come directly to the southern border – often go through years of processing and must be outside the country to be accepted.

Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, who moved to end vaccination promotion work in that state, has been selected for the No. 2 job at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Abraham’s selection as the CDC’s Principal Deputy Director was confirmed Tuesday by a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson.

Abraham is a physician and former Republican U.S. representative. He was named Louisiana’s first surgeon general last year, tasked with crafting health policy and improving public health.

Earlier this year, he ordered staff to stop engaging in media campaigns and community health fairs to encourage vaccinations. He also criticized a CDC COVID-19 vaccination push.

One of the two turkeys that Trump will pardon appeared in the briefing room ahead of the Rose Garden ceremony.

The 50-pound (23-kilogram) bird named Waddle waddled near the podium where press secretary Karoline Leavitt usually addresses reporters.

“Waddle, want to give us a gobble?” Leavitt asked. The turkey obliged.

“Very on message!” Leavitt said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene built a reputation in Congress as a fighter, first as a defender of President Donald Trump and more recently, as someone who clashed with him.

So Greene’s decision to resign from the House after publicly disagreeing with the president came as a surprise to some in her home state of Georgia, who say it goes against character for the Republican. They believe Greene could have withstood the pressure and been reelected to the House – even without Trump’s backing.

Greene’s decision has raised questions about the strength of Trump’s hold in a narrowly divided Congress, even as he touts his party’s unity ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has rolled out an eight-figure investment plan targeting congressional districts with predominantly rural populations, as well as those with large Asian American, Black and Latino communities.

“We know that to win the House majority, House Democrats need to meaningfully engage with AANHPI, Black, Latino, and rural voters as early as possible,” Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the DCCC, said in a statement.

The “Our Power, Our Country” plan will include building up on-the-ground organizing and is expected to target districts in Colorado, Michigan, New York, Texas and Virginia, among other states.

The initiative did not disclose exactly how much it will invest.

President Donald Trump plans to bestow ceremonial pardons on two turkeys and fly to his private Florida resort on Tuesday to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday interlude during what has been a turbulent and uncertain chapter of his second term.

Waddle and Gobble, the two birds that will be spared from the dinner table, enjoyed luxury hotel accommodations ahead of their White House visit. The turkey pardon is a presidential tradition dating back years.

However, Thanksgiving may not provide Trump with much political respite after Democrats won sweeping victories in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere earlier this month. Some research indicates that holiday meals could cost more this year, despite the president’s insistence otherwise, a reminder of persistent frustration with elevated prices.

Meanwhile, Trump is struggling to advance a plan to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine after an earlier version faced swift criticism from European allies and even some Republicans. The U.S. military is also poised to target Venezuela with military strikes, part of an anti-drug operation that could ultimately destabilize the country’s leadership.

The Trump administration plans a review of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration, according to a memo obtained Monday by The Associated Press, in the latest blow against a program that has for decades welcomed people fleeing war and persecution into the country.

The review is likely to sow confusion and fear among the nearly 200,000 refugees who came to the United States during that period. It is likely to face legal challenges from advocates, some of whom said the move was part of the administration’s “cold-hearted treatment” of people trying to build new lives in the U.S.

As the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term comes to a close, two new polls from the Pew Research Center find that Hispanic adults are increasingly unhappy with the way his administration is handling the economy and immigration, issues that were key for voters during last year’s election.

The surveys of more than 5,000 Hispanic adults in the U.S., conducted in October and September, found that a year after Trump eroded the Democrats’ traditional advantage with Latino voters, most Hispanic adults are feeling worse about their place in the country, and they’re more likely to be worried that they or someone close to them could be deported than they were earlier this year.

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– Trump administration plans to review refugees admitted under Biden, memo obtained by The AP says

– Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation shocked some in Georgia who say she could have won without Trump

– Trump administration plan to reduce access to some student loans angers nurses, health care groups

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