You Can Bet on President Trump Pardoning Another Turkey at Thanksgiving – Odds Favor Yes
- Sportsbooks are offering -140 odds that President Donald Trump will pardon a turkey prior to Thanksgiving
- The tradition of granting clemency to a turkey began in 1947 with President Harry Truman
- Trump pardoned turkeys in both 2017 and 2018
President Trump issuing a pardon to Turkey? Hasn’t he already done enough for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, basically handing the Turks control of Syria?
Oh, wait a minute. Hold that thought. This is about President Trump pardoning a turkey, as in sparing a festive bird from becoming someone’s Thanksgiving dinner.
It’s a White House tradition that dates back to Harry Truman’s days in the White House, and sportsbooks are laying odds in favor of the tradition continuing.
Sportsbooks are offering a betting line of -140 that Donald Trump will grant a pardon from the slaughterhouse to one turkey prior to Thanksgiving.
Will Donald Trump Pardon A Turkey For Thanksgiving This Year?
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -140 |
| No | EVEN |
Odds taken Nov. 7.
Wonder if Trump eats curds with his Thanksgiving turkey?
Turkey Time With Trump
A year, ago, when Trump pardoned Peas, a 39-pound Broad Breasted White turkey from Huron, South Dakota, he made it political. And, as he so often does, he used what should be a festive, celebratory moment, into a chance to attack his political opponents.
Trump advised all that the decision to determine that Peas would be the turkey spared over his rival Carrots was the result of a fair election conducted by the White House. However, he cautioned the two turkeys that they should expect the Democrats to oppose the election results and issue subpoenas for both birds to testify before Congress.
In 2017, Trump also pardoned two turkeys, Drumstick and Wishbone. Fox News reported later that both birds were alive and well. However, The Guardian countered with its own story that the turkeys were dead. Was this fake news, or merely a battle of alternative facts?
Trump tells turkey if he wants a pardon this Thanksgiving, he'd better cough up dirt on the Bidens. pic.twitter.com/v03JEnn3ah
— Ben Bowman (@BowmanInc) November 5, 2019
During his tenure in the White House, Trump has also granted pardons to Joe Arpaio, Scooter Libby, Conrad Black and Dinesh D’Souza.
Why Can’t Trump Do A Photo Op?
The wager shouldn’t be on whether Trump will pardon a turkey but rather on how will be massively mess up what should be a feel-good photo op? In his hands, they’re more like photo oops.
At Christmas, he questioned a seven-year-old girl’s belief in Santa Claus. On Halloween, he and First Lady Melania Trump jokingly put candy on the top of the head of a trick or treater dressed as a minion.
Then again, Trump does enjoy toying with his minions. How’d he know it was Lindsey Graham in that costume?
The Tradition Continues
In 1987, Ronald Reagan was the first President to officially pardon a turkey. Reagan’s administration came up with the idea to grant a pardon to a Thanksgiving turkey as a way of drawing people’s attention away from the growing Iran-Contra investigation.
BREAKING NEWS: In departure from tradition, Thanksgiving Turkey to pardon President Trump on Wed. Nov. 27. pic.twitter.com/2NVx9fCf34
— Peter Dykstra (@pdykstra) November 1, 2019
Trump might need to pardon Butterball’s entire stock in order to distract the nation from his litany of scandals.
Pick: Yes (-140)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
