Lara Trump's Latest Post Has A Subtle Dig At Father-In-Law Donald (& It's Ruff)

Donald Trump's dislike for dogs is well-documented. In fact, in 2017 he became the first president in over 100 years not to bring a canine companion to the White House. Despite this evidence to the contrary, there have been some bizarre attempts to suggest that Trump likes animals, like when future daughter-in-law Kimberly Guilfoyle attempted to paint Trump as a dog lover in an Instagram post praising him for signing the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act. The caption appeared alongside several photos of Trump looking uncomfortable clutching a variety of small dogs in his arms, supposed proof of his adoration, but the President-elect has made it clear he isn't interested in dog ownership.

Trump has even gone as far as to imply that having a dog of his very own would be performative. "How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn? Would that be right?" he joked at an El Paso, Texas rally while on the 2019 campaign trail, before getting more specific about what he feels a dog would represent (via ABC News). "I don't know. Feels a little phony, phony to me. A lot of people say, 'Oh, you should get a dog,' 'Why?' 'It's good politically.' I said, 'Look, that's not the relationship I have with my people.'"

Lara Trump seems to have her father-in-law's number when it comes to this unsavory opinion, taking an opportunity to throw a little shade his way via a post to her Instagram Story. "If people don't like you, it's okay," reads the reposted Reel from @myspiritualpath. "You only need to be concerned if dogs don't like you. Then it's time for some self-reflection."

Donald Trump's rejection of dog ownership is something that may be personal to Lara Trump, who is listed as a board member for Big Dog Ranch, a dog rescue charity based in Florida. Although Lara's involvement, paired with the hosting of events at Mar-a-Lago, has called into question how the organization is distributing its funds and donations, proof of Lara's love of dogs can be found in her two rescues, along with the fact that she asked Donald Trump to bring a dog into the White House during his first term. 

"I am working on it as hard as I can!" she said of the possible dog adoption on "Mornings With Maria" in 2017. "'We've got to find the right fit, but I think they will," she continued in reference to a possible dog rescue –- one that never came to fruition despite the efforts of Lois Pope, who presented a Goldendoodle named Patton as a top candidate. Although news of Patton's potential arrival at the White House made it to the presidential pet museum website, the adoption was not to be, a relief for Pope who kept the dog herself.

The Floridian philanthropist who's known Trump for decades revealed the fault didn't lie with Patton, as Trump claimed he was simply too busy to take on a puppy. "I went through great trouble to find the perfect dog for Donald Trump. He would've been a perfect dog for any president," Pope insisted (via Newsweek). President Harry Truman may have said, "Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads," but if history is any indication the White House will have to go without its canine companions for at least the next four years.