President Obama said the American people should be thankful for improved economic conditions and his signature healthcare law, during his final ceremony to pardon two Thanksgiving turkeys on Wednesday.
“Of course we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving,” the president, flanked by two wandering 40-pound turkeys named Tater and Tot, told reporters and aides gathered in the White House Rose Garden. “Six straight years of job creation, the longest streak ever. Low unemployment, wages are rising again, inequality is narrowing, the housing market is healing [and] the stock market has nearly tripled.”
“Our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high and our insurance rate is at an all time low thanks to the 20 million more Americans, including their children, who finally know the security of health insurance,” he added in a nod to Obamacare. The law has faced renewed scrutiny lately after the administration announced that insurance premiums are expected to rise an average of 22 percent next year, and after more insurers have dropped out of the system.
“That’s worth gobbling about,” Obama said as the crowd erupted in applause.
Obama also used the pardon ceremony to say he and his family are thankful for the trust Americans placed in him during his presidency “and the incredible kindness that you’ve shown my family.”
“On behalf of Michelle, and my mother-in-law and our girls, we want to thank you very much,” the president said.
