Trump praises dog injured in al-Baghdadi raid, jokes about her attacking reporters

Donald Trump and Conan Dog.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/The Hill)

President Trump just held a surprise White House event with a very good girl.

Trump on Monday brought out Conan, the dog injured in the raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, at the White House, announcing he was giving the "brilliant" dog, who he described as a "tough cookie," a medal and a plaque.

"I actually think Conan knew exactly what was going on," Trump said. "A dog that is very, very special."

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During the raid, Conan chased down the ISIS leader, and Trump previously declassified the dog's name along with posting an image of her, praising her "GREAT JOB." Though Trump referred to Conan as "he" during the event, a pool reporter confirmed Monday that Conan is actually female.

After reporters were warned before the event to "remain as calm as possible," Trump also made a joke out of the idea of Conan attacking the press, first noting that "this particular type of dog" is "trained that if you open your mouths, you will be attacked" and then jokingly telling one reporter, "You're very lucky he's not in a bad mood today." Brendan Morrow

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Update: After conflicting reports from White House officials, Conan was confirmed to be male.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.