President Joe Biden’s pooches are making a mess of things in the White House, literally and figuratively.
First pets historically have been among Oval Office occupants’ best friends by making them more relatable to voters, but Biden’s dogs keep causing public relations headaches for the new chief executive.
From biting incidents to accidents on the floor of the White House’s Diplomatic Room, Biden’s long-awaited unveiling of his $2.25 trillion “American Jobs Plan” was somewhat overshadowed by his misbehaving pooches, Champ and Major.
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When the president and first lady Jill Biden moved backed to Washington in January, they brought with them two German shepherds, returning pets to the White House after a four-year absence during animal-averse former President Donald Trump’s administration. Champ, 12, was joined by the younger and more energetic Major, 3. The latter is the first shelter canine to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., with the Delaware Humane Association throwing an “Indoguration” fundraiser in his honor.
But while the canines were light internet fodder before the election, with the campaign using them to make fun of Trump, they are creating problems for their owners, especially Major, after several acts of aggression around the executive mansion.
The Bidens face a political challenge, according to George Mason University professor Jeremy Mayer. The first couple can’t overreact, nor can they do nothing or too little, said the academic, who has written extensively on presidential image-managing, told the Washington Examiner.
“So far, this dog hasn’t even broken skin,” Mayer said. “This will get particularly bad if the dog actually does make anyone at the White House bleed.”
For Mayer, pets are intertwined in any first family’s brand, suggesting Trump may have been “ever so slightly” hurt by not owning an animal.
“I bet there are a few hardcore Republicans who also love dogs that are secretly glad dogs are back at the White House. It doesn’t win Biden any votes, but it probably helps humanize him somewhat,” he said.
Pets are often deployed to soften the perception of hardened politicians, noted Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture. The most famous example is Richard Nixon and his black-and-white cocker spaniel, Checkers, the one gift he decided to keep after he was accused of misusing a slush fund before the 1952 presidential election when he was Dwight Eisenhower’s running mate.
“Never underestimate the power of a dog in the White House or the power of a dog in politics in general,” Thompson said. “That Eisenhower-Nixon campaign, one could argue, was at least partially rescued by a narrative about a dog.”
Thompson was mindful that Biden’s pooch issues are not an “important story,” but he contends the matter is still “relevant.”
“Whatever one has to do, you’ve got to make sure that it’s done in what appears to be the positive and very best interests of the dog,” he said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has been pressed multiple times for updates on the Bidens’ timeline for introducing a cat to the family, one of their more unusual campaign promises. Thompson advised them to wait before adding to their brood.
“Feed the first child before you have the second, as opposed to feeding the second child to the first,” he quipped.
Major bit a National Park Service employee on the White House’s South Lawn this week, the second time he’s shown aggression since Biden was sworn in.
“Major is still adjusting to his new surroundings, and he nipped someone while on a walk,” said Michael LaRosa, the first lady’s press secretary. The staff member was examined by the White House Medical Unit before they went back to work “without injury,” LaRosa explained.
Earlier this month, Major lashed out at a Secret Service member. Both canines were sent back to the Bidens’ home in Delaware to be cared for by family friends after the incident, which both Joe Biden and Psaki insisted was part of a preexisting plan since the first couple was scheduled to crisscross the country touting the president’s coronavirus spending package.
“Major was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual, which was handled by the White House Medical Unit with no further treatment needed,” Psaki said.
Biden elaborated that Major hadn’t been “banished,” though he did receive remedial training while he was away.
And on Wednesday, ahead of Biden’s trip to Pennsylvania to promote the first of two far-reaching infrastructure packages, the duo was spotted near the White House’s Diplomatic Room.
“There was dog poo on the floor. It’s unclear which dog was responsible for it,” a pool reporter informed the press corps.
During the campaign, Biden needled Trump on social media through photos and videos of his animals, urging voters to “put dogs back in the White House.” His eldest granddaughter, Naomi Biden, however, was criticized for taking the joke too far when she shared images of Major and her mini Australian shepherd Charlie trying to tear apart a Trump plush toy before she deleted the post. Critics contended that message chafed with Biden’s unity pitch.
Then, during transition, Biden sprained his right foot and was constrained by a walking boot after tripping on Major following a shower.
“I’m walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom, and I grabbed the ball like this. And he ran. And I’m joking, running after him and grab his tail. And what happened was that he slid on a throw rug, and I tripped on the rug he slid on,” he said.
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Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, reported last month his patient’s two small fractures had “completely healed.”
