Video misrepresents Biden’s departure from White House turkey pardon
President Joe Biden speaks after pardoning the national Thanksgiving turkey, Liberty, during a pardoning ceremony at the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. Social media users are misrepresenting a video from the event, falsely claiming that Biden left the ceremony “abruptly.” (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
CLAIM: A video clip shows President Joe Biden “abruptly” leaving this year’s Thanksgiving turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. In a full video of Monday’s ceremony, Biden spends several minutes speaking and taking photos with guests after pardoning two turkeys in an address before hundreds of attendees. He can be seen waving to the crowd, plus giving a thumbs up and a salute, before leaving the event.
THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing a clip from the annual White House tradition, falsely claiming it shows Biden making a sudden, unexpected exit.
In the clip, Biden turns away from the crowd, breaking into a light jog for a few moments before slowing to a walk as he makes his way to the White House. Two Marines standing in front of the door part to let him through and salute as he goes inside.
“Biden abruptly leaves his turkey pardon ceremony and half-jogs back inside,” reads one post on X, formerly Twitter. It had received approximately 8,100 shares and 7,000 likes as of Wednesday.
But a full video of the ceremony shows Biden making a more prolonged departure from the South Lawn of the White House.
Immediately after pardoning two turkeys, named Liberty and Bell, sparing them from ending up as part of someone’s Thanksgiving meal, Biden can be seen speaking with Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, and Jose Rojas, vice president of Jennie-O Turkey Store.
Biden then speaks for several minutes with some of the hundreds of guests, which included local students, Cabinet secretaries and White House staff. He also poses for photos during this time.
Finally, standing next to his granddaughter, Maisy Biden, the president waves to the crowd, plus gives a thumbs up and a salute, before making his exit.
Liberty and Bell, Minnesota natives who were named for the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, will now be cared for by the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, the AP has reported. They are both about 20 weeks old and 42 pounds (19 kilograms).
The tradition of pardoning turkeys dates to 1947 when the National Turkey Federation, which represents turkey farmers and producers, first presented a National Thanksgiving Turkey to President Harry Truman.
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.