'He didn’t even have Presidential dog': Internet slams Trump for being 'curious' about Kristi Noem's butchered dog at private fundraiser

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Former President Donald Trump brought up the 14-month-old dog, who was killed by South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem, while speaking at a private fundraiser event in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 14, reported NBC News.

The Republican governor was also present among the room filled with wealthy donors while the MAGA spearhead weighed in on the controversy surrounding the butchering of Cricket, a wirehaired pointer, Noem narrated in her latest book.

The event's other "special guests" included potential vice presidential picks Sens Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, and North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum.

"What a week! The dog, the dog!" Trump said, introducing Noem. "I'm really curious about the dog."

The GOP governor drew flak last month after an excerpt of her memoir 'No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward' revealed how she shot and killed her dog for being aggressive.

Trump praises Kristi Noem after mentioning her dog

However, the former president did not criticize Noem for her actions regarding her dog 20 years ago; instead, he spoke positively of her.

"She's been there for us for a long time," Trump said, adding, "She's loyal, she's great."

According to a source present at the event, the White House hopeful seemed more bemused at the dog-killing fiasco than being critical.

Noem appreciated the support of the soon-to-be official GOP nominee. In a statement via text message, her spokesperson, Ian Fury, said the governor "appreciated President Trump's words of support of her leadership during her time as Governor and was glad to attend the event at his request."

"Thank you for advertising Governor Noem's NYT bestseller 'No Going Back' — she is very proud of its success," read the text message sent on May 15.

Trump, who had refrained from making public remarks about the dog controversy, threw his support behind Noem, a likely contender for his VP position, during a radio interview on 'The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show' on May 14.

According to the ex-POTUS, the South Dakota Governor "had a bad week. We all have bad weeks."

"Couple of rough stories, there's no question about it. Until this week, she was doing incredibly well. And she got hit hard, and sometimes you do books, and you have some guy writing a book, and you maybe don't read it as carefully as you should, you know," Trump said.

However, this contradicts multiple reports claiming the former president was unhappy with the controversy, which adversely affected Noem's VP chances.

The private fundraiser hosted by billionaire Howard Lutnick was co-hosted by prominent Republican donors like retail giant John Catsimatidis, Trump's ex-ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson, and billionaire hedge fund manager Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah.

According to two sources, the private event raised more than $10 million.

Internet blasts Trump for being 'curious' about Kristi Noem's dog

Outraged by Trump's curiosity about the dog Noem killed and his failure to criticize the act, netizens lashed out at the former president.

One user wrote on Facebook, "Why?! He didn’t even have a Presidential dog lol."

Another remarked, "Trump hates dogs. He's the only president who didn't have one in the White House. Says a lot about the man. Maybe he's curious as to why she didn't invite him to shoot it?"

"As if Donald Trump gives a dam about a dog. The only really reason he wanted her is because she is PRETTY (we all know it) also, she's pretty stupid to do something like that and then write about it," a user added.

A response read, "One idiot asking about another idiot's dog..." Meanwhile, another comment read, "Birds of a feather."

Someone else wrote on X, "Oh please. His only interest is to hear the gory details. He doesn't like dogs. He makes fun of people who love their dogs."

An individual claimed, "He doesn’t give a damn about that puppy! He’s just trying to capitalize on the publicity of it all. When will the media stop falling for his BS? Dang!!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.