President’s Daughters Indulge His Silly Jokes at Turkey Pardon

Malia and Sasha Obama couldn’t resist a burst of giggles when their father made silly jokes at Wednesday’s Turkey Pardoning ceremony at the White House, the Guardian reports. President Obama said to the gathering in the Rose Garden,

“It is hard to believe this is my seventh year of pardoning a turkey. Time flies – even if turkeys don’t.”

14-year-old Sasha appeared studious and serious in spectacles, cream sweater and denim skirt, she also put noticeable distance between herself and her dad; however, her sister, 17-year-old Malia did not seem self-conscious about standing beside her president dad.
The Obama girls seemed to have fun this year as they humoured their father.
Obama acknowledged his daughters when apparently going off script he said,

“I am going to publicly thank Malia and Sasha for once again standing here with me. They do this solely because it makes me feel good, not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing and, you know, as you get older you appreciate when your kids just indulge you like this, so I’m very grateful.”

Watched by his daughters, Obama pardoned a turkey named “Abe”, who gobbled right on cue, and also granted absolution to a back-up bird, “Honest”. Both turkeys hail from California; they will be spared the dinner plate and live out their days on a nearby farm in Virginia.