New Delhi: From economy, inflation, immigration and the Gaza war, the Republicans and the Democrats have been crossing sword over a range of issues ahead of the US presidential elections. Now, a very bizarre issue — the death of a tiny squirrel — has become a big flashpoint between the two camps.
Wondering why death of a squirrel could spur a political battle? Well, this squirrel — called by different names like Peanut, P’Nut or PNUT — had become a social media star before he died. The rodent had a huge fan base on Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms.
So, his death evoked huge reaction. Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance and backers like Elon Musk hit out at the US government and Kamala Harris for Peanut’s death. But why? What was behind his death and why it has turned into raging political row?
An internet sensation
Seven years ago, Peanut was adopted by Mark Longo in Pine City, near New York. Longo took in the baby rodent after its mother died after being hit by a car. Over a period of time, Peanut became an internet sensation. On October 30, Peanut and Longo’s other pet, a raccoon named Fred, were taken away from his home by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which claimed there were multiple complaints against the pets. After this, Longo called out to those who made complaints to the DEC on Instagram. On November 1, the DEC and Chemung county department of health revealed that Peanut and Fred had been euthanised “to test for rabies”.
Longo shares his grief
Taking to Instagram. Longo shared his grief over the death of his pets. “It is with profound sorrow that we share the heartbreaking news: on October 30, the DEC made the devastating decision to euthanise our beloved Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon. Despite our passionate outcry for compassion, the agency chose to ignore our pleas, leaving us in deep shock and grief,” he posed on Instagram.
Evoking massive reaction
Peanut’s euthanasia quickly swept the social media by storm as many Trump supporters also joined the bandwagon.
A Trump backer, @ighaworth, posted on X, “If Peanut the Squirrel was an illegal immigrant who was dealing fentanyl and raping women, New York Democrats would give him $5,000 and a cell phone.”
Collin Rugg, a popular conservative personality on X, pointed out that the confiscation and euthanasia of Peanut was a prime example of how government intervention has spiralled out of control. Elon Musk, who is a big supporter of Trump, also wrote on X, “Government overreach kidnapped an orphan squirrel and executed him.”
“If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine” Obi PNut Kenobi pic.twitter.com/dD2Xo0fSkr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2024
Nick Langworthy, Republican Congressman from New York, slammed New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul of the Democratic party, and wrote: “In New York State, we have sanctuaries for illegal immigrants while innocent pets are killed.”
JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, hit out at the Democrats over the incident. Vance said at a rally, “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.”
