President Barack Obama is defending his legal authority to take executive actions - to spare a pair of Thanksgiving turkeys.

Obama joked that his annual turkey pardon will be his "most talked about executive action this month." Last week, the president issued a series of highly anticipated executive actions on immigration that are opposed by Republicans.

The two turkeys who were granted this year's presidential pardons are Mac and Cheese. Obama says that around Thanksgiving, turkeys named after side dishes would normally have a "pretty low" chance of escaping the dinner table.

As he sent Mac and Cheese on their way, he said "It is a little puzzling that I do this every year."