Defense Secretary Mark Esper receives the Trump administration's 2nd Mongolian horse


The Mongolian government is currently holding a lot of the U.S. government's horses.
When Mongolia's president Khaltmaa Battulga arrived at the White House late last month, he told President Trump's 13-year-old son Barron Trump he would be receiving every child's dream: a horse. And just a few weeks later, the Trump administration has been saddled with another horse, this time for newly confirmed Defense Secretary Mark Esper, The New York Times reports.
The Thursday gift celebrates Esper's first international trip as part of Trump's Cabinet. He named the 7-year-old equine "Marshall," as in World War II Gen. George Marshall, and declared that "he likes his name," per the Times. Barron Trump, who isn't an official member of the Trump administration, meanwhile named his horse "Victory" a few weeks ago. It's not clear if Barron and Victory, who Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said would be staying in Mongolia, have ever met.
Subscribe to 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.
To be clear, this very normal practice in Mongolian diplomacy. Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel got a Mongolian horse on a 2014 visit, which he named "Shamrock" after his high school mascot. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was also gifted one in 2005, but amid some bureaucratic issues, couldn't take Montana back home. He and Montana were thankfully reunited once again a few years later.
Former Vice President Joe Biden also got a horse in 2011 and gave it his Secret Service code name of "Celtic," but it apparently promptly "reared up" because it probably didn't like "the Irish epitaph," Biden said at the time.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
August 2 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include a tariff self-own, rough times at the Trump golf course, and more
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein