Why Is PETA Asking People to Be More Like Trump?

Published November 8, 2019 by Michelle Reynolds. Last Updated September 9, 2022.

3 min read

Let’s talk turkey about President Donald Trump. So far, the White House has yet to announce a date for the 2019 presidential turkey pardon, but the event seems as likely to occur as POTUS talking next to a helicopter. So, in preparation for the day when actual feathers will be flying around 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., PETA is asking the blue strongholds of New York City and Washington, D.C., to “just this once, be more like Trump” and pardon a turkey this Thanksgiving.

Elephants and donkeys can agree on at least one thing: Cruelty to animals is wrong. And the long list of ways in which turkeys are abused before they become holiday table centerpieces would make for a heck of a filibuster. Usually slaughtered at just 5 months old, the baby birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles and dragged through an electrified bath. They’re often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into scalding-hot water to remove their feathers. PETA eyewitnesses have even documented turkeys being sexually assaulted.

We’re taking our “be more like Trump” message to popular D.C. bars, restaurants, and hotels, scattering 25,000 coasters at favorite Democrat and Republican hangouts around the city.

We also went back to where it all began, placing ads on multiple kiosks within a mile radius of Trump Tower, the Trump International Hotel and Tower New York, and Trump Plaza.

Will Trump still eat a turkey after he pardons two of them? Maybe, but maybe not. Last year, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s children were reportedly so moved by meeting Trump pardonees Peas and Carrots that they insisted that no turkeys be killed for their table. PETA sent Joseph and Arabella a vegan care package, and we’ll send you one for your own turkey pardon, too.

Request a free vegan starter kit here, and check out our tips for enjoying a turkey-free, vegan Thanksgiving. And you can keep up with our campaign using the hashtag #PETATrumpsThanksgiving.

Note: PETA supports animal rights, opposes all forms of animal exploitation, and provides the public with information on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.