President Donald Trump turned Tuesday’s annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony into an opportunity to launch pointed attacks against Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, transforming what is typically a lighthearted Thanksgiving tradition into a political battleground.
During the 78th annual turkey presentation in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, Trump pardoned two turkeys named Gobble and Waddle. However, the president quickly pivoted from the ceremonial event to criticize Chicago’s Democratic leadership over crime in the city.
“The mayor is incompetent,” Trump told reporters gathered for the event, and he implied that the governor is a “big, fat slob.” He added that Chicago could be made safe in four to ten weeks if state officials would cooperate with federal intervention efforts.
Trump’s remarks focused heavily on a recent violent incident on Chicago’s CTA Blue Line train, where a woman, reportedly named Bethany Magee, was set on fire on Nov. 17, 2025. The president used the attack to justify his ongoing push to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, a proposal that has faced resistance from state leaders and was reportedly blocked by a federal judge.
The president claimed the suspect in the Blue Line attack had 72 prior arrests, using this detail to criticize what he characterized as lenient criminal justice policies in Chicago. Trump has repeatedly referred to Chicago as what he’s characterized as a crime-riddled hellhole and argued that federal military intervention is necessary to restore public safety.
Trump’s attacks on Pritzker extended beyond policy disagreements to personal insults. The president claimed he had prepared jokes about the governor’s weight but insisted he would not discuss such matters, all while repeatedly calling Pritzker a fat slob. Trump even acknowledged his own contradiction, stating he refuses to talk about people being fat before doing exactly that.
The governor has been a vocal critic of the president, reportedly calling Trump a wannabe dictator in response to the administration’s policies. Pritzker also blamed Trump for higher Thanksgiving prices, issuing a statement suggesting the president’s tariffs and economic policies were forcing families to worry about rising costs during the holiday season.
First lady Melania Trump attended the turkey pardoning ceremony alongside her husband. The event, which has been a White House tradition for decades, typically focuses on the symbolism of presidential clemency and Thanksgiving gratitude. This year’s ceremony departed sharply from that tradition as Trump used the platform to advance his political agenda.
Beyond his attacks on Illinois officials, Trump also made controversial claims about his predecessor Joe Biden, alleging that Biden used an autopen to sign turkey pardons. The president declared Biden’s turkey pardons invalid, along with pardons of almost every other person Biden granted clemency to during his term. Trump directed these comments toward Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was reportedly present at the ceremony, asking what she planned to do about the situation.
The president also reportedly joked about sending the pardoned turkeys to El Salvador, drawing attention to his administration’s approach to criminal justice. The comment came as Trump has reportedly militarized his takeover of Washington earlier in 2025.
Trump’s focus on Chicago has been consistent throughout his presidency, with the president repeatedly asserting that the city needs federal intervention. Local officials have strongly disputed these characterizations and rejected the need for military deployment.
The president’s pardons this month extended beyond turkeys. Trump also granted clemency to Joseph Schwartz, a nursing home tycoon convicted of fraud, after Schwartz reportedly paid nearly one million dollars to lobbyists who appealed to the administration on his behalf, according to reports.
The confrontational tone of the turkey pardoning ceremony reflects the broader tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic state and local officials. The president’s willingness to use even ceremonial occasions as platforms for political attacks has become a defining characteristic of his approach to the presidency.
As families across America prepared for Thanksgiving celebrations, the Rose Garden event underscored the deeply partisan divisions that continue to shape American politics. What traditionally serves as a moment of unity and gratitude became another flashpoint in the ongoing battles between federal and state authorities over issues ranging from public safety to immigration enforcement.
