So much for “unity” and “healing” after division. On Saturday, what seems to be a fan Instagram account for likely incoming President Joe Biden’s two dogs shared three images of the dogs, Champ and Charlie, biting a chew toy in the shape of President Donald Trump.
“Awoooof! I hope you’ll enjoy these pics of me, Champ & Charlie First Grandpupper,” the account holder wrote with the pictures. “[Naomi Biden, Joe Biden’s daughter] took these during our [tug-of-war] match. Champ was the champion – some names are predestined. Just like winning, in a landslide, by a record number of votes. #ByeDon #You’reFired”
What a great way to illustrate Joe Biden’s promise to be a president for all Americans, not just the people who voted for him, right?
That particular Donald Trump chew toy features a “NY [loves] ME” tie, a book entitled “GREAT WALL BUILDING FOR IDIOTS.” An American flag pin with a dollar sign instead of the fifty stars also includes a large “DONALD” name tag.
The Washington Post‘s Philip Bump reported on the chain of stores selling this Trump chew toy — Pet Central — in 2016. Andrew Tsartsalis, the president of Pet Central, told Bump the dolls were “definitely the hottest items on the shelf right now.” In most areas around New York City, Trump chew toys outsold similar chew toys mocking Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
According to John Lika, co-founder of Fuzzu, the company that makes the dolls, “Trump is selling out continuously in stores.” He said Trump was selling “probably four to six times” the number of Sanders and Clinton dolls, combined.
Lika sold similar political chew toys in the 1990s but he sold that company about a decade ago. He and his team decided to re-launch the effort for the 2016 campaign, and their Kickstarter campaign reached its goal.
Trump selling out wasn’t exactly a compliment, of course.
“There’s more of that visceral reaction of wanting to see their dog or cat do something” to the Trump doll, Lika told Bump. “Then there is an admiration-and-worship-doll approach in wanting to buy Trump to be a Trump supporter. If anything, a Trump supporter would be wanting to buy a Hillary toy to feed to their dog.”
“I think it’s a visceral reaction, and why Trump is selling so well is wanting to see him on the floor,” the creator added.
It seems a new kind of Donald Trump will enter the Oval Office just as the real Trump exits — and this Trump chew toy may be a concrete example of the new first family’s disdain for their predecessors.
Update 9:25 p.m.: The original version of this article claimed the Instagram account was an official account for the dogs. The account appears to be a fan account, rather than an official one. However, the account claimed that Naomi Biden took the photos, so it seems she did give the dogs a Trump chew toy to attack.
Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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