Trump turned whimsical event into a 'political mess' with historic 'screw up': analysis

Donald Trump took part in the traditional presidential turkey pardoning ceremony on Tuesday, lacing a typically light-hearted and apolitical affair with his typical grievances. Writing for MS NOW about the event, commentator and producer Steve Benen said Trump was "struggling" and "flubbing" his way through the event, turning the simple and fun ceremony into a "political mess."

The turkey pardon event involves the president being presented with a live turkey -- or two, as was the case this week -- to which they issue a "pardon," sparing the bird from being killed and eaten at a Thanksgiving feast. Dating back to around the 1940s, these annual Thanksgiving ceremonies became an accepted yearly White House tradition during the presidency of George H.W. Bush.

"It’s not easy for a president to screw up a Thanksgiving turkey pardon," Benen, a producer for MS NOW host Rachel Maddow, wrote for the outlet's blog. "This is supposed to be a fun little tradition. As White House events go, the events are harmless and easy. And yet, over the course of roughly 19 minutes, Trump somehow found a way to turn this whimsical gathering into a political mess."

As Benen explained, Trump began his speech at the event by boasting about his controversial decision to pave over the White House Garden, claiming that “If this were grass today, you’d be sinking into the mud like they’ve done for many years.”

Then, he proceeded to attack his political enemies, joking that former President Joe Biden's turkey pardons were invalid due to the alleged use of an autopen, and slamming Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) as a "fat slob." Elsewhere in the address, he took time to attack former GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and outgoing Democratic House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). He also layered in falsehoods about the crime rates in Washington, D.C., and the notoriously violent CECOT prison in El Salvador, where his ICE agency sent many non-violent deportees as part of its mass deportation agenda.

Taken altogether, Bene surmised that Trump's handling of the turkey ceremony reasserted how unfit for the presidency he is.

"In the grand scheme of things, Trump turning a Thanksgiving turkey pardon into an opportunity to lie and air petty grievances is par for the course in this White House, but it was also a timely reminder," he wrote. "This president isn’t just failing at his key governing responsibilities — he’s also making it clear that he can’t handle his ceremonial duties, either."