President-elect Donald Trump has yet another “cabinet member” to nominate: first pet.
That role may soon be filled by an adorable 9-week-old goldendoodle (golden retriever/poodle designer hybrid) puppy named Patton, according to The Washington Post.
Lois Pope, a Trump booster from Florida, says she has offered to gift the puppy to Trump, and she’s confident the little doodle will canoodle with the next president soon enough. “I’m sure,” she told the Post.
“He said, ‘Go over there and show it to Barron,’” Pope recounts of her Thanksgiving weekend conversation with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. Barron is Trump’s 10-year-old son with wife Melania. A “big smile came over” the boy’s face, Pope says.
Patton is named after the famous World War II general, whom Trump admires.
Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for the incoming president, says “no decisions have been made” about pets, according to the Post. Trump does not currently have any pets.
Gifts of pets are quite common for U.S. presidents. Even if Trump does accept the puppy, it’s not known whether the cute ball of fur would be joining him at the White House. Melania and Barron are planning to stay in New York City through at least the spring of next year, so it’s possible Patton would stay with them at Trump Tower.
Regardless, Pope is convinced the puppy will ease Trump’s transition to the presidency — even though the pooch still needs to be house-trained.
“He’s a good boy,” she says. “A good boy.”
