President Donald Trump has explained why he is the only president in more than 100 years not to own a dog while living in the White House. Speaking at a rally in El Paso, Texas, on Monday night, Trump said the idea of adopting a dog feels “phony” to him and that he simply does not have the time to care for a pet.
“I wouldn’t mind having one, honestly, but I don’t have any time. How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?” Trump asked the cheering crowd. He acknowledged that many people have advised him to get a dog for political reasons, but he has refused, stating, “that’s not the relationship I have with my people.”
The last president without a dog was William McKinley, the 25th president, who had kittens, parrots and roosters as pets. Trump, however, has no pets at all. Despite his lack of a canine companion, Trump expressed admiration for German shepherds, particularly for their drug-detection abilities. He described the breed as “unbelievable” and recounted a conversation with manufacturers of drug detection products who admitted that trained German shepherds are superior to their devices.
Trump has frequently used “dog” as an insult against political rivals and critics, including former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, Mitt Romney, and former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman. However, his remarks on Monday suggested a respect for dogs, and he previously invited winners of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to Trump Tower from 2010 to 2015.
