Lara Trump Asked Donald To Do This One Thing In The White House (But He Never Did)
Donald Trump has been repeatedly criticized for being the only American president in over 100 years without a White House pet (since William McKinley whose term began in 1897). However, this wouldn't have been the case if the then-commander-in-chief had given in to his daughter-in-law's request. During Donald's first year as president, Lara Trump, who chairs a dog rescue charity, revealed on "Mornings with Maria" that she was actively trying to get him to adopt a rescue dog.
"I am working on it as hard as I can!" Lara shared, with her husband Eric Trump and their two rescues by her side. "'I think they probably will. We've got to find the right fit, but I think they will." However, in the end, Donald never did get a dog — or any other pet — during his presidential term. Interestingly, this wasn't because they couldn't find a good fit. Lois Pope, a member of Mar-a-Lago, told Newsweek she "went through great trouble to find the perfect dog for Donald Trump."
Her pick was Patton, a hypoallergenic Goldendoodle. But even though the adorable dog reportedly brought Barron Trump to tears with his cuteness, it was still a no-go for Donald. Fun fact: All three of America's pet-free presidents served only one term.
Does Donald Trump hate dogs?
By all accounts, the former president doesn't like dogs. In her 2017 memoir, "Raising Trump," Ivana Trump shared that Donald Trump confirmed as such, noting that he certainly didn't want to live with one. But, like the Trump kids who do not agree with Donald's no-pet policy, she chose to keep Chappy, her poodle, and threatened to leave if her then-husband didn't let him stay with them. Unsurprisingly, Chappy didn't like him either and would bark anytime Donald got close to Ivana's wardrobe.
But it's not just her words that prove Donald doesn't like dogs. In 2019, during a rally in Texas, he actually discussed the prospect of having a dog himself. "I wouldn't mind having one, honestly," he claimed (via YouTube). "But I don't have any time. How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?" When the crowd cheered in response, the controversial politician added that he wasn't prepared to get a dog just to improve optics, like previous presidents.
Unconfirmed reports further asserted that Donald reasoned having a pet was something only low-life people do. Certain sources believe that the former president dislikes dogs due to his well-publicized germophobia. However, considering his many dog-related similies, what Donald thinks of them is quite clear.
He often compares his enemies to dogs
One major sign that Donald Trump doesn't like dogs is that he often compares his enemies to them. The former president sneered that Marco Rubio was "sweating like a dog" at a 2016 rally (via MSNBC) and posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that same year claiming that Mitt Romney had "choked like a dog" after losing to Barack Obama back in 2012. He also applauded John Kelly on X for "quickly firing that dog," referring to Omarosa Manigault Newman, who had harsh words for Donald herself in her book, "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House."
Additionally, when the US Army hunted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi down in October 2019, Donald gleefully enthused at a press conference that the terrorist had "died like a dog." However, the outspoken politician credited an actual dog, Conan, for the victory later in his speech, calling it "a beautiful dog, a talented dog." If this doesn't really sound like him, it's because it isn't. New York Magazine reports that Melania Trump, who notably stopped wearing fur in 2017, was the brains behind Donald's pro-dog statements. "You should talk about the dog. Everyone loves dogs," she reportedly advised him.
Considering the evidence, the greatest tragedy of the former president's dislike for dogs is arguably that he's depriving himself of the joy of being a pet owner. Perhaps Brooke Janis, co-author of "First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Best Friends," about presidential pets, said it best to The Washington Post: "[Unconditional love] is something that this president desires so deeply and can't seem to find." Perhaps Donald should have adopted Patton after all.