Marlon Bundo, also known as Bunny of the United States (BOTUS), is a rabbit belonging to the family of 48th and current Vice President of the United States Mike Pence. He was the first rabbit to travel on Air Force Two, has a popular Instagram account, and is the subject of two children's books.
Video Marlon Bundo
Biography
The rabbit Marlon Bundo was named after actor Marlon Brando and has been with the Pence family at the United States Naval Observatory since 2017. Other pets owned by the second couple include an Australian Shepherd named Harley, and two cats named Hazel and Pickle.
Marlon Bundo was acquired via Craigslist by Pence's daughter Charlotte Pence in 2013 when she was a freshman at DePaul University. At the time she needed a rabbit for a short film student project. In the film, Bundo portrayed a "symbol of rebellion in a world of conformity" as a rabbit who repeatedly escapes from his cage. Before this, Bundo was "just another scrappy Chicago bunny".
Pence texted Bundo's owner to ask how much the rabbit cost, and the owner replied, "Make me an offer." In Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the 1972 film of the same name, Marlon Brando's Don Vito Corleone says, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." Pence's friend, a Brando fan, noticed the similarity between the seller and Corleone, and suggested naming the rabbit Marlon Brando. Pence finally decided to name him Marlon Bundo. Speaking to The Chicago Tribune Charlotte recalled:
We drove out to the suburbs, my friends and I, and we picked him up. I think he was like $20. He was in the short film, and I just kept him after that.
Bundo lived with Charlotte throughout college in Chicago, for four years, and was part of a student friends group.:2:19 Bundo traveled to Washington, D.C. from his home in Indianapolis, Indiana aboard Air Force Two in January 2017, making him the first rabbit to ever travel on the plane. He made his official debut in May 2017, appearing at an event honoring Military Appreciation Month at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where he was "admired", according to the official transcript of the event.
Bundo was featured on the White House's Flickr landing page on May 11, 2017, detailing his first trip to the White House. Bundo has not been in the Oval Office, as of 20 March 2018.:7 President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met Bundo at a dinner at the Naval Observatory. Melania Trump invited Karen and Charlotte Pence to read their book at the 2018 White House Easter Egg Roll, but the Pences did not accept because they - and Marlon Bundo - were taking a "mini-spring vacation". Karen Pence said, "You have to have the bunny on Easter."
The Pence family originally drew criticism online and questions regarding their care for Bundo, based on the observation that his nails were "far too long". As Callie Beusman, a senior editor with Vice Media commented:
The Pence family cannot claim ignorance on these issues because insane rabbit people (including myself) frequently comment on Marlon Bundo's Instagrams with alarm and concern.
The piece went on to observe that "BOTUS otherwise seems well-loved". The White House press office did not respond to a related request for comment on the matter. The Washington Post later observed that Bundo "promptly got a pedicure".
Social media
Bundo has his own Instagram account, which has over 32,000 followers as of April 2018. Charlotte created his Instagram account after her father's inauguration, "not knowing if anybody would follow it". Four former U.S. presidents have had rabbits; Bundo is the first in such circles with a social media account.
According to The Fresno Bee, Bundo generally avoids partisan politics online, preferring instead to stick to "posting pictures of his bunny life, including being hugged by his mom, Charlotte Pence, the vice president's ... daughter, hopping around the house, and playing hide and seek with Pickle, the family cat". Photographs on Bundo's Instagram account show him "reading the Constitution, taking phone calls, signing documents, and working out on the treadmill". Because of Bundo's popularity on Instagram, Charlotte and Karen decided to create a children's book about him "at one point".
Maps Marlon Bundo
Children's books
Bundo is the main character in two children's books.
Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President features Bundo accompanying Vice President Pence through his daily activities as seen from Bundo's perspective. It is written by Charlotte Pence and illustrated by Karen Pence. Bundo posed for all illustrations in the book.:28 As of March 2018, Bundo was scheduled to accompany Charlotte and Karen on the press tour for the book. Proceeds from the book benefit Tracy's Kids, an art therapy program, and The A21 Campaign, which works to combat human trafficking. As of late March 2018, the book had sold approximately 100,000 copies, entered the top-ten books on Amazon, and was the No. 5 Children's Picture Book on The New York Times Best Seller list.
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo is a book published by the television show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. It details a gay romance between Marlon Bundo and a rabbit named Wesley. Authorship is attributed to Bundo as well as Jill Twiss. Speaking of the book on Instagram, Bundo's account says, "Not gonna lie, I do look pretty fly in a bow tie. The only thing better than one bunny book for charity is...TWO bunny books for charity." Proceeds from the book benefit The Trevor Project, which operates a crisis hotline for members of the LGBTQ community, and AIDS United. As of late March 2018 the book had sold approximately 400,000 copies, spent several days as the top-selling book on Amazon, and was the No. 6 Children's Picture Book on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Reception
In December 2017, President of the United States Donald Trump reportedly described the presence of Bundo and the other family pets in the Vice Presidential residence as "low class". Writing for Jezebel, Ellie Shechet acknowledged Bundo's cuteness, but continued that it is "an indisputable fact that underneath his huge blinky eyes and nice fat tummy lies the twisted heart of a dirty trickster", and further accused him of using his "good looks and pleasant demeanor as a fluffy tool of mass obfuscation".
The Washington Post praised Bundo as "ridiculously cute" and "a natural actor". Others have called him the "only positive thing in Washington, D.C." Writing in Vogue, Bridget Read summarized Bundo as "clearly a lover, not a fighter, based on how much he loves snuggling", but also that he is "clearly not new to navigating his own PR, and has demonstrated some media training". Read concluded by saying that Bundo's "social media rollout" may be an indication that he is planning to run for public office. Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres, comedian John Oliver described Bundo as a "fantastic rabbit", adding, "if you have a problem with that bunny you're dead inside".
See also
- Rabbits and hares in art
- United States presidential pets
- Dear Socks, Dear Buddy - 1998 children's book written by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton about the two pets that lived in the White House during the Clinton administration, Socks the cat and Buddy the dog.
Notes
References
External links
- Marlon Bundo on Instagram
- House rabbit Marlon Bundo makes his debut, video from The Washington Post
Source of article : Wikipedia
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