Watch: Biden pardons turkeys at White House ahead of Thanksgiving celebrations

Watch as Joe Biden pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey at the White House on Monday, 20 November.

The US president spent his 81st birthday pardoning Liberty and Bell as part of a tradition that dates back to 1947 when the National Turkey Federation, which represents turkey farmers and producers, first presented a National Thanksgiving Turkey to Harry Truman.

The male turkeys were hatched in July in Willmar, Minnesota, and have been listening to music and other sounds to prepare them for Monday’s event according to Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation and president of the Jennie-O Turkey Store.

“They listened to all kinds of music to get ready for the crowds and people along the way. I can confirm they are, in fact, Swifties, and they do enjoy some Prince,” Lykken told the Associated Press.

In the afternoon, first lady Jill Biden will accept the delivery of an 18.5-ft (5.6-metre) Fraser fir from Fleetwood, North Carolina, as the official White House Christmas tree.