Obama names 'Cheese' as National Thanksgiving Turkey, grants bird full pardon

"Mac" and "Cheese," the twin turkey brothers, are officially safe this Thanksgiving. Wednesday, President Barack Obama named Cheese the National Thanksgiving Turkey and granted the 49-pound bird a full pardon. Mac was also spared as the alternate turkey.

"If you're a turkey, and you're named after a side dish, your chances of escaping Thanksgiving dinner are pretty low," Obama said at the event. "So these guys are well ahead of the curve. They really beat the odds."

He was accompanied by his daughters, Malia and Sasha, who declined his invitation to pet the birds. "No," Malia said.

Both turkeys will live out their long bird lives at Morven Park's Turkey Hill, a historic turkey farm in Leesburg, Virginia.

Cheese

Mac

The ceremony to pardon the official Thanksgiving turkey is an annual tradition at the White House. Americans have been sending turkeys to the president at least since the 1800s, according to the White House website. President George H.W. Bush granted the first turkey pardon in November 1989.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.