An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a statement released by former President Donald Trump that refers to former Vice President Mike Pence as a “dog.”
Verdict: False
The statement is digitally fabricated. There is no evidence Trump released a statement calling Pence a dog.
Fact Check:
Pence said during a speech in February that Trump was “wrong” in insisting that the vice president had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to CBS News. Trump responded to Pence’s comment in a statement that accused the former vice president of being an “automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected President.”
An image shared on Facebook claims Trump recently took his criticism of Pence a step further. The image shows what appears to be an April 11 statement from Trump. (RELATED: Did Donald Trump Release A Statement Calling Tom Brady ‘Shady’?)
“Today we celebrate National Pet Day, when all Americans give thanks for their pets,” reads part of the alleged statement. “While many people know Melania and I did not have an official pet in the White House during our four great years there, we did have a dog and his name was Vice President Mike Pence.”
There is no evidence Trump released this statement. Though it’s written in the format of Trump’s typical statements, it does not appear on his website where all of his statements are posted. It also does not appear on the Twitter page of Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington, who shares all of the former president’s statements on Twitter. There are no credible news reports suggesting the former president called his running mate a dog.
This is not the first time fake statements allegedly released by Trump have circulated online. Check Your Fact has previously debunked other fake Trump press releases, including one that referred to NFL player Tom Brady as “shady” and another that referred to Mike Pence as “weak” for not overturning the 2020 election.