First lady Melania Trump batted down the suggestion that her family would adopt Conan, the Belgian Malinois who cornered Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, but once considered getting a dog for the White House.
Trump, 49, looked into breeds and how to care for the presidential canine. But she decided against the addition to her family, according to the forthcoming book, Free, Melania, by CNN journalist Kate Bennett.
Donald Trump, 73, is the first president in decades to not own a dog. During a February rally in El Paso, Texas, Trump said he “wouldn’t mind having one,” adding that as president he didn’t have the time.
“How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?” he said. “Feels a little phony to me.”
The first lady was asked last week during Conan’s visit to the White House if she wanted to adopt the dog for her 13-year-old son, Barron Trump.
“No,” Trump said with a smile.
