The episode opens with Rick dragging Morty on a heist at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, their target: the U.S. Constitution. Rick is convinced the document—symbol of America’s founding—hides a treasure map, a clear nod to Nicolas Cage’s National Treasure franchise. The museum oozes American iconography: statues of Lincoln, George Washington, and Andrew Jackson line the halls, security doors emblazoned with the U.S. motto “In God We Trust,” and Jackson’s dueling weapons displayed in a corner. Rick hands Morty a device resembling the “Prometheus Fusion Gun” to breach the display case, but Morty botches the shot. The laser strikes the Constitution, then ricochets to destroy Lincoln’s statue, a Liberty Bell replica, and even the distant Statue of Liberty. Lincoln’s statue being decapitated echoes his real-life assassination, while the laser’s hit on the 13th Amendment—abolishing slavery—adds a darkly comedic twist.
In a shocking reveal, the Statue of Liberty is revealed to be a French “Trojan Horse” housing a giant robot. Rick, unfazed, explains that Thanksgiving is like America’s “birthday” but with a floating date, mocking the holiday’s murky historical roots. As the museum descends into chaos, Rick opens a portal to escape—only to find the Smith house surrounded by an anti-teleportation shield, its eerie design evoking the surreal atmosphere of Annihilation. Soldiers outside, acting on presidential orders, label Rick a “terrorist” and demand his surrender.
Prepared for every contingency, Rick activates Plan B: exploiting the Thanksgiving tradition of presidential turkey pardons, he turns himself into a turkey to infiltrate the White House. But the president has anticipated Rick’s scheme, recruiting a team of elite humans to swallow tracking chips, undergo genetic backups, and transform into turkeys—forming the “Elite Turkey Task Force” specifically to counter Rick. Rick and Morty, now turkeys, sneak out of the house and attempt to hitch a ride on a turkey transport truck to the White House, only to be ambushed by the task force. Rick fends them off with impressive combat skills, prompting the president to transform into a turkey himself for a showdown.
Amid the chaos, government officials accidentally fuse a regular turkey with the president’s DNA, creating the “Turkey President.” Endowed with human intelligence and a turkey’s body, this rogue leader harbors grand ambitions: he converts other turkeys into super-strong human-turkey hybrid soldiers and bribes Congress members by promising to sell New York to France—using the proceeds to raise their salaries, a scathing satire of American politicians’ greed. The real president tries to stop him but is defeated in Congress and flees to the Smith house in disgrace.
Inside, the Smith house buzzes with awkward absurdity. Beth, fed up with Rick and the president’s bickering, snaps at them to set aside their differences and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, asserting her role as the family’s de facto leader. Jerry attempts to weigh in on politics, only to be mocked by the president: “If you don’t make enough to pay taxes, you don’t get to criticize the president.” To Jerry’s humiliation, Rick chuckles in agreement. At the dinner table, Morty complains that their feud is pointless, but Rick and the president unison shout “Shut up!”—a hilarious moment of unexpected harmony.
Threatened by the Turkey President, Rick and the president are forced to team up. The president reveals that Rick’s “treasure map” never led to wealth, but to the “New World Vault”—a hidden chamber housing two dormant warring alien species. Back in the 15th century, the aliens crash-landed on Earth and formed an alliance over their shared hatred of giant, human-eating turkeys that roamed the planet at the time. Meanwhile, the Turkey President is converting the Washington Monument into a laser cannon, planning to turn every turkey in America into hybrid soldiers and seize control of the country.
Rick, Morty, and the president lead a squad of soldiers to stop him. The battle unfolds with one absurd scene after another: Rick summons a flower-shaped carnivorous machine reminiscent of Little Shop of Horrors to attack enemies; the president delivers a rousing yet substance-free speech, paying homage to classic rallying moments in films like Independence Day; Morty, overwhelmed by a jumble of wires, screams in frustration: “They’re all blue! How am I supposed to cut this?”
In a climactic move, Rick and the president release the alien species from the vault. True to the president’s word, the two races join forces against the turkey army—an epic crossover evoking Alien vs. Predator, with the aliens even shouting “Predator!” to drive home the reference.
Ultimately, the Turkey President is defeated, and his hybrid army collapses. Rick expects a presidential pardon, but the president refuses, reigniting their feud. As for the soldiers transformed into turkeys—despite saving the nation—they face canceled health insurance and struggle to support their families. In the final scene, Soldier Cooper returns home with PTSD, triggered by eating blueberries, while his wife silently steps between him and their children.