President Donald Trump is definitely one of a kind. He is proving it yet once again. In modern White House history, he has never had a presidential pet, and according to his first wife, the late Ivana Trump, that is no accident.
As per The Irish Star, in her memoir Raising Trump, Ivana wrote that Trump “was not a dog fan,” revealing a personal detail that has resurfaced as he continues his second term without a pet at the White House.
He is one of only three U.S. presidents to serve without a pet, alongside James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson. It is a sharp contrast to many of his predecessors, who loved animals as part of their public image.
Ivana continued to describe the tension between Trump and her dog, Chappy, during their marriage. She wrote that the dog would “bark at him territorially,” adding that the current U.S. president was openly hostile toward the pet. Trump’s first wife said she never understood his attitude.
He has an aversion to dogs? So strong feelings of dislike? Hate?
He hates dogs.
Speaking of IVANAhttps://t.co/VTFhr708TX
— Gizmo Sprinkles Crenshaw (@JoanCrenshaw9) February 17, 2026
“How can you not love a dog that acts like he’s won the lottery for life just because he sees you walk through the door?” she wrote.
According to Ivana, her ex-husband was against Chappy moving into their New York home. But her response was firm: “It’s me and Chappy or no one!”
However, in contrast, Trump himself has addressed the issue publicly. During his first term, he repeatedly dismissed suggestions that he get a dog for political optics.
At a 2019 campaign rally in El Paso, Texas, he spoke about highly trained dogs working along the southern border but admitted he did not own one.
“You do love your dogs, don’t you?” he told the crowd. “I wouldn’t mind having one, honestly, but I don’t have any time.”
He then questioned how it would look if he were seen walking a dog on the White House lawn. “How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn? Would that be right?” he asked before shaking his head.
“I don’t know. Feels a little phony, phony to me. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, you should get a dog,’ ‘Why?’ ‘It’s good politically.’ I said, ‘Look, that’s not the relationship I have with my people.’”
Donald was not a dog fan,” Ivana confirmed recalling his hostility to her poodle, who would “bark at him territorially”. She never understood Trump’s hostility to dogs. “How can you not love a dog that acts like he’s won the lottery for life” But u can hate dogs and be President
— victor hull (@victorhull11) February 16, 2026
More than a year into his second term, Trump has maintained that position. There are still no pets at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
If considered, animals have played a symbolic role in the presidency. Former President Joe Biden had German Shepherds named Champ, Major, and Commander during his time in office.
Before him, Barack Obama brought Portuguese Water Dogs Bo and Sunny to the White House, fulfilling a promise to his daughters.
While supporters argue that pets are a personal choice and not a political requirement, critics say the absence reinforces Trump’s carefully crafted image as a leader who rejects traditional presidential norms.
Whether symbolic or simply personal preference, his decision makes him different. He is simply one of the presidents who chose not to have a four-legged companion in the White House.
