Washington DC - Donald Trump turned Washington's fluffiest tradition into something a little tougher to carve on Tuesday – swapping holiday cheer for political score-settling as he pardoned two turkeys in the annual White House Thanksgiving ceremony.

Since Abraham Lincoln's day, presidents have occasionally spared a lucky bird from becoming dinner, though the ceremony didn't become a yearly tradition until John F. Kennedy made it official in 1963.

This year's feathered VIPs – Waddle and Gobble of North Carolina – were meant to be the stars of a festive, bipartisan moment.

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But the Hallmark-card episode quickly turned into a holiday roast as Trump tore into Democrats, fumed about crime and even revived a conspiracy theory about Joe Biden's pardoning process.

Waddle was absent for reasons that were not immediately clear, but Gobble showed up – and appeared grateful not to get cooked alongside Trump's many targets.

The president focused on Chicago, declaring once again that he could clean up crime in America's third-largest city if only Illinois Governor JB Pritzker – whom he branded a "fat slob" – would let him send in federal troops.

Then came the Biden hit: Trump said US officials conducted a "very rigorous investigation" and discovered that last year's turkey pardon was signed not by the then-president but by an autopen – rendering the whole thing invalid.

Even the birds weren't safe from becoming political props. Trump mused aloud about naming Waddle and Gobble after Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi – before stopping himself.

"I realized I wouldn't be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people," he remarked acidly.

He then pivoted to economics, delivering a burst of cherry-picked statistics.

"Egg prices are down 86% since March," he declared. "And gasoline will soon be hovering around $2 a gallon."

He also boasted he had delivered the largest tax cuts in history.

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While egg prices have indeed fallen from their record highs, grocery costs overall are still rising.

The national average for gasoline sits at $3.10 – slightly higher than this time last year, according to automotive services group AAA.

And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – which extends provisions of Trump's 2017 tax law – ranks around the sixth-largest tax cut ever, not the biggest.

As for Gobble, the bird carried on with remarkable composure for a turkey caught in the spotlight at a de facto campaign rally.

The fowl were selected by North Carolina students in an online vote and will now retire to a comfortable post-pardon life back home.