Even if it would be 'good politically,' Trump won't be adopting a dog anytime soon
You'd think President Trump would love to have a golden retriever or orange tabby following him around the White House, but it looks like a first pet won't be joining the Trump family anytime soon.
During his rally Monday in El Paso, Trump acknowledged that people "love" dogs, and said he wouldn't mind having one, "but I don't have any time." Moments later, he admitted that the idea of him walking a dog on the White House lawn "feels a little phony," and while people have urged him to get one because it's "good politically," he has no interest. His daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, supports animal rescues, and ABC News reports she's the one who has been trying to get him to adopt a dog.
The Trumps are the first modern family in the White House to not have any pets. Barack Obama had Bo and Sunny, FDR had Fala, and Richard Nixon had Checkers, and even Trump's beloved Andrew Jackson had a pet parrot named Polly, who attended his funeral in 1845, but was reportedly kicked out because she wouldn't stop squawking profanities.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He might not want a dog, but Trump is fond of accusing people of behaving like one. When Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) lost the 2012 presidential race, Trump tweeted that he "choked like a dog," and he's mocked "Sloppy Steve Bannon," his former chief strategist, for being "dumped like a dog by almost everyone." Maybe if Trump actually did own a dog, he'd know that they are faithful creatures, and he would never have told actor Robert Pattinson in 2012 that Kristen Stewart "cheated on him like a dog & will do it again — just watch."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
