A liberal news website fell for a false statement from former President Trump that appeared to condemn the seizure and subsequent death of an Instagram-famous squirrel named Peanut.
The site was scammed after a bizarre fake press release emblazoned with the Trump campaign logo was posted on X.
The language was similar in tone to language used by Trump during his campaign, perhaps making it all too easy for someone to mistakenly believe the words were true.
In the fake post, Trump lamented how Peanut and Fred the Raccoon were removed from owner Mark Longo and “executed by the state of New York” thanks to “their terrible governor,” Democrat Kathy Hochul.
A liberal news website fell for a false statement from former President Trump that appeared to condemn the seizure and subsequent death of an Instagram-famous squirrel named Peanut
The site was scammed after a bizarre fake press release emblazoned with the Trump campaign logo was posted on X. Despite the convincing prose, the entire message was fake
Donald Trump Jr. went to X on Saturday night and used Peanut’s death to make a political point using similar language to the false statement
“If Peanut could have told them he was from Mexico, they would have sent him on his way and given him a hotel room and a $500 gift card to Buddy Squirrel,” the post joked.
Peanut was “innocent in every respect,” the statement ridiculed, comparing the rodent to a migrant.
When the real Trump campaign got wind of it, they made it clear it was false.
“It’s a false statement,” Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said The New York Post. “He didn’t really say that,” she added.
But it didn’t take long for someone from the Trump family to respond with sentiments similar to the doctored statement.
Donald Trump Jr. Saturday night used Peanut’s death to make a political point.
‘It’s time to vote out a government that will kill a squirrel but will happily allow 600,000 criminals, including 13,000 murderers and 16,000 rapists, into their country knowingly. Perhaps P’nuts’ murder will be the catalyst for real change and awareness of our government’s broken priorities!,” Don Jr. wrote.
On Saturday, the man who took in the orphaned squirrel and turned him into a social media star vowed that New York state’s decision to seize and euthanize the animal “will not go unheard.”
“We will take a stand on how this administration and New York State use their resources,” Mark Longo said.
Peanut the squirrel had more than 580,000 followers online and seemed to spread joy
Mark explained how he tried to release the animal back into the wild, but it simply returned
The squirrel lived with Mark Longo for the past seven years
He declined to specify his possible next steps, but said officials would soon hear from him about what happened to both Peanut and Fred, a rescued raccoon that was also seized and put down.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation took the animals Wednesday from Longo’s home and animal shelter in rural Pine City, near the Pennsylvania border.
The agency said it had received complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally and possibly unsafely.
State law requires people to obtain a permit if they want to own a wild animal. Longo has said he was working to get Peanut — also known as P’Nut or PNUT — certified as an educational animal.
The DEC and Chemung County Health Department said Friday that the squirrel and raccoon were euthanized so they could be tested for rabies after Peanut bit someone involved in the investigation.
On Saturday, Longo said he did not see Peanut bite anyone during what he described as an hours-long, heavy-handed search.
Authorities have not spoken to him since they left the property, he said.
Peanut was euthanized because state law requires people to obtain a permit if they want to own a wild animal in their own home
The little rodent seemed to be an integral part of family life in the rural home in upstate New York
Peanut the squirrel and his owners, Mark Longo and his wife, are featured in Peanut’s Instagram videos and photos
“Honestly, this still feels a little surreal, that the state I live in has basically targeted me and taken away two of the most beloved animals on the planet, and not even quarantined them. They took them from my house and just killed them,” he said.
Longo said he began caring for Peanut after the animal’s mother was hit by a car in New York City seven years ago.
Tens of thousands of users of Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms caught glimpses of the animal wearing tiny hats, doing tricks and nibbling on waffles held in its tiny paws.
Longo said Fred the raccoon was dropped off on his doorstep a few months ago. After helping the animal recover from injuries, he and his wife planned to release the creature into the woods, Longo said.
Several memes appeared on social media, with one lawmaker saying X to express his frustration over the news.
A number of memes surfaced over the course of Saturday following Peanut’s death
The squirrel could perform tricks, including jumping through hoops
In one of his popular photos, Peanut was eating a waffle while wearing crocheted bunny ears
“The NYS DEC needs a serious reality check on their ridiculously misguided priorities.” New York Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) wrote in a message.
“Instead of focusing on critical needs like mitigating flooding in places like Steuben County, where local officials have to scramble to get permits from the DEC to clean up debris-filled waterways, they are busy trapping squirrels.” as a pet. New York taxpayers deserve better.”
Others on social media were also in disbelief at what had happened.
“The owner of Peanut the Squirrel says our government kidnapped this squirrel, the raccoon brother, and then let them live for no reason,” one user said.
“They said four departments and a judge had to sign off on this kidnapping and this euthanasia.”
“This can’t be real,” said another user. ‘Is this a joke? Are they joking? They actually sent a SWAT team to get a squirrel and a raccoon.
“Now I find out that Peanut the Squirrel apparently had a ton of followers on TikTok. So, someone please explain this to me. Maybe I don’t understand. Our squirrels dangerous?’