Former President Donald Trump‘s campaign officials confirmed he has not commented on Peanut the squirrel, despite a fake statement gaining popularity.
A picture of false Trump-Vance letterhead circulated online following the news that Peanut was euthanized by officials from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation Wednesday. A raccoon named Fred was also euthanized during the department’s raid on Mark Longo’s home. The photo was falsely written to display Trump’s support for the animals.
“New York authorities, under their terrible Governor, put more effort into finding and eliminating a squirrel, who was innocent by all accounts than they do to control the unchecked illegal immigrants who have flooded into their state,” the false statement read. “If Peanut could have told them he was from Mexico, they would have sent him on his way and given him a hotel room and a $500 gift card to Buddy Squirrel.”
The campaign confirmed to Yahoo News and reporter John Levine that the statement was false. When the statement appears on the platform X, it is coupled with a Community Note flagging the statement as false.
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Longo’s home was raided by the DEC after anonymous complaints arose surrounding the wild pets. The squirrel lived with Longo as a pet for seven years, as Longo rescued as many as 350 other animals.
Peanut’s popularity online allowed Longo to fund the animal rescue, which is named after the squirrel. Longo said the animal rescue will continue to be in operation as he is soliciting donations.