Donald Trump Thought It Was ‘Low Class’ For Mike Pence To Bring Pets To Washington, Says WH Adviser
President Donald Trump reportedly thought it was “low class” for Mike Pence to bring his pets to Washington, D.C. A White House adviser speaking with The Atlantic said a conversation was overheard in January about Trump not being particularly enthused about his vice president having his animals in tow relocating to the Naval Observatory.
A longtime adviser tells the news source that Donald Trump ridiculed Mike Pence’s menagerie of pets to his secretary back in January. The vice president and his wife were planning to move two cats, a rabbit, and a snake with them into the Naval Observatory. It didn’t sit well with Trump, who looked down on the idea.
“He was embarrassed by it; he thought it was so low class,” says the adviser.
The adviser adds that Trump doesn’t see Mike and Karen Pence as being especially sophisticated.
“He thinks the Pences are yokels.”
It’s no secret that President Trump isn’t an animal person. He’s the first president in a long time to not have at least a dog in the White House. There were reports earlier this year that Barron might get a puppy, but the potential for the Trumps to adopt a pet fizzled out.
CNN reported on the animals’ move to Washington when cats Oreo and Pickle arrived with bunny Marlon Bundo at St. Andrews Air Force Base from Illinois. The family snake is with Pence’s son, Michael, in Mississippi. Their 13-year-old Beagle, Maverick, died days before the election. Oreo also died over the summer. The Pences adopted a new dog and cat a few months ago.
The report touched on Mike Pence’s understanding of the role he took on as Donald Trump’s vice president. The price would be high because he was — and still is — expected to defend Trump on everything he does, says, and tweets. Loyalty is key and Pence’s public performances must be “convincing.” Someone familiar with a meeting Pence had with a prospective adviser during the transition described an incident in which the vice president supposedly emphasized this part of his job. Pence dismissed everyone so they could talk privately and allegedly told the interviewee that he’s “going to have to 100 percent defend everything the president says. Is that something you’re going to be able to do if you’re on my staff?”
Trump thought it was “low class” for Pence to bring pets to VP residence: report https://t.co/fs2KKipumN pic.twitter.com/vwsLBJvlre
— The Hill (@thehill) December 5, 2017
An aide to Mike Pence denies this took place.
It came to be expected that anytime Donald Trump did something unsavory or embarrassing, Mike Pence would clean up his mess.
“He was our top surrogate by far,” says one former senior adviser to Trump.
Karen Pence is also highlighted in The Atlantic‘s lengthy piece about the vice president. A former campaign aide revealed that the second lady finds Trump “totally vile,” “reprehensible,” and was “disgusted” after the Access Hollywood tape was exposed last year.
