Barron Trump Given A Gift From The Government Of Mongolia: A Horse Named Victory
Donald Trump’s son Barron was gifted a horse from the government of Mongolia, Yahoo News reports. The animal’s name is Victory.
Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga was in Washington on Wednesday, and in keeping with the tradition, ceremonially gifted the horse to Trump and Melania’s 13-year-old son. Trump, for his part, saw a photo of the horse, and said he’s “beautiful.” White House Press secretary Stephanie Grisham says the Trump family is “very grateful” for the gift.
It’s unlikely that Barron will ever actually ride the horse, for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the animal will remain in Mongolia. Of course, Barron could take riding lessons and take a flight to Mongolia and then ride his horse, should the mood ever strike him. But as of this writing, the gift appears to be mostly symbolic.
It’s been a tradition for some time now for the Mongolian government to “gift” horses to foreign dignitaries. “Gift” is used in quotation marks here, because rarely do the animals ever actually go into the possession of the recipient — instead, they typically remain in Mongolia. Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chuck Hagel both “received” horses when they visited the Asian nation when they were U.S. defense secretaries, as did former Vice President Joe Biden.
The First Family is very grateful to Mongolia for this time-honored traditional gift. The horse has been named “Victory” and will remain in Mongolia. pic.twitter.com/aFqtJzc1Il
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) July 31, 2019
It may be more than just a ceremony, however. Washington Examiner writer Joel Gehrke posits that, in gifting the horse to Barron, Mongolia is sending a message to China and Russia. Gehrke points out that horses have, for millennia, been a symbol of the Central-East Asian nation’s military might. What’s more, Mongolia is bordered by China and Russia.
“[The name ‘Victory’] points to the strategic significance of the relationship between the United States and Mongolia.. The meeting [between Trump and Battulga] is a clear warning to China and Russia that the U.S. has friends in their backyard,” Gehrke writes.
As for Barron, this isn’t the first time that he’s received a gift from a foreign country. Back in July 2018, as The Inquisitr reported at the time, the FIFA Men’s World Cup had recently concluded, having been hosted by Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin was in town, and he presented Barron with a game-used soccer ball from the tournament. Unfortunately for the young lad, who is a big soccer fan and a player himself, he won’t be able to keep the ball. Such souvenirs are considered “gifts of state” and, like all of the other hundreds of gifts American dignitaries have received over the years, it will be kept in a museum.
