Instagram-famous pet squirrel named Peanut became a hot topic of Trump’s campaign two days before the elections after the New York wildlife officials euthanized it.
According to BBC, Republican candidate for the presidency Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, argued that the death of Peanut has raised questions about government priorities.
During a campaign rally in Sanford, North Carolina, on Sunday, November 3, 2024, the Ohio senator told supporters that the former president was “fired up” about the death of a pet squirrel.
He said, “The same government that doesn't care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country doesn't want us to have pets. It's the craziest thing."
The Republican lawmaker asserted that the Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has “misguided priorities.”
He wrote on social media, “In New York State, we have sanctuaries for illegal immigrants while innocent pets are killed.”
Moreover, as per the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), they seized the pet after receiving "multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets."
The department put down Peanut after it bit an officer involved in the seizure. The DEC also euthanized a raccoon named Fred from the same home.
Squirrel owner, Mark Longo, accused the wildlife of using excessive force at his home on October 30, 2024, and vowed on social media to take legal action.
Longo has also launched a GoFundMe and has so far raised $140,000 (£108,000) there.
