Peanut the squirrel became an unlikely political symbol in the final days of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. Rescued after his mother was reportedly struck by a car, Peanut was raised by Mark Longo and became the social-media star of P’Nut’s Freedom Farm, an animal sanctuary in Pine City, New York.
After New York officials seized Peanut and a raccoon named Fred on October 30, 2024, both animals were euthanized for rabies testing. Peanut’s test later came back negative. The decision triggered furious reactions from Trump supporters, including Elon Musk, JD Vance and the official Trump campaign, which recast the case as evidence of government overreach.
What happened to Peanut the squirrel?
Mark Longo said he rescued Peanut, also spelled P’Nut, after seeing the squirrel’s mother killed by a car in New York City. Longo and his wife, Daniela Bittner, later cared for Peanut at P’Nut’s Freedom Farm in Chemung County.
Peanut developed a large following online through videos showing him living with people. The sanctuary also housed other animals, including Fred, a raccoon. Their popularity made the October 2024 intervention unusually visible: what might otherwise have been a local wildlife-regulation case quickly became a national political story.
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On October 30, officers from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, working with the Chemung County Department of Health, searched the property and removed Peanut and Fred. The DEC said it was investigating complaints about the animals’ housing and the potentially unlawful possession of wildlife.
Why were Peanut and Fred euthanized?
Officials said Peanut had bitten someone involved in the investigation. Fred was a raccoon, a species considered a rabies vector. Because rabies testing generally requires brain tissue, officials euthanized both animals rather than returning them to the sanctuary while testing was pending.
That distinction became central to the controversy. Authorities did not say that Peanut had been confirmed to have rabies. They said the reported bite and the presence of a raccoon created a situation requiring testing. On November 12, Chemung County officials announced that Peanut had tested negative.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| October 30, 2024 | New York DEC officers and the Chemung County Department of Health seize Peanut and Fred. |
| Early November 2024 | News of the euthanasia spreads nationally and is adopted as a political talking point by Trump supporters. |
| November 3, 2024 | JD Vance discusses the case at a Trump campaign rally in Sanford, North Carolina. |
| November 4, 2024 | Reports emerge of bomb threats and other threats directed at New York DEC offices. |
| November 12, 2024 | Officials announce that Peanut’s rabies test was negative; the DEC says it is reviewing its procedures. |
The legal dispute behind the outrage
New York generally restricts private possession of wild animals unless the owner has the required authorization. Longo and Bittner had taken steps toward becoming licensed wildlife rehabilitators, but records reviewed by the Associated Press indicated that the sanctuary’s regulatory status was not fully resolved when the animals were seized.
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The DEC had reportedly known about the sanctuary since at least January 2024. The agency’s concerns increased after Fred, the raccoon, was brought into the home. Public complaints about the facility and the animals’ living conditions contributed to the investigation.
Supporters of the sanctuary argued that Peanut was a domesticated, harmless animal with a devoted online audience. Wildlife authorities, however, treated the case through the framework applied to wild animals, potential rabies exposure and licensing requirements. That conflict—between an animal viewed as a family member by its caretakers and an animal classified as wildlife by the state—helped drive the backlash.
How Peanut became a MAGA symbol
The story was quickly reframed from a dispute over wildlife rules into a broader argument about bureaucracy and state power. Trump supporters described Peanut as a victim of government overreach and portrayed New York officials as examples of an unaccountable liberal administration.
Elon Musk publicly condemned the action and connected it to the anti-bureaucracy message surrounding Donald Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency. JD Vance also invoked Peanut at a November 3 rally in North Carolina, contrasting the government’s treatment of the squirrel with issues involving immigration and public safety.
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The Trump campaign’s official TikTok account posted “RIP Peanut,” called the squirrel “needlessly murdered by Democrat bureaucrats in New York,” and urged voters to “avenge” Peanut at the ballot box. The video drew millions of views and helped turn the animal into a campaign symbol just days before the election.
For the MAGA movement, Peanut represented more than an individual animal. He became a compact and emotionally powerful example of a familiar political complaint: that government agencies impose rules without understanding ordinary people, small sanctuaries or local communities. The fact that Peanut’s rabies test was negative strengthened the perception among supporters that the state had acted unnecessarily, even though the test could only be performed after euthanasia.
Threats followed the online campaign
The backlash went beyond criticism. New York DEC offices and employees received abusive messages, death threats and bomb threats after the story went viral. Reports said at least 10 state offices received emailed bomb threats on November 4. Authorities did not find explosives, but the threats demonstrated how quickly an animal-control case had become entangled in the country’s political anger.
The episode also illustrated the risks of turning a developing investigation into a campaign message. Social-media posts compressed a complicated sequence—wildlife possession, a reported bite, rabies protocols and the status of a rehabilitation license—into a simple narrative of officials killing a beloved pet.
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False claims about Trump and the case
Several widely shared claims were inaccurate.
- Trump did not publish the viral statement saying New York had “executed” Peanut and Fred. Fact-checkers determined that the graphic was fabricated, and the Trump campaign said it was fake.
- Peanut was not euthanized because officials had confirmed rabies. His test was negative. Officials said euthanasia was necessary to obtain tissue for testing after the reported bite and potential exposure.
- The Biden administration and federal government did not seize Peanut. The action was carried out by New York State DEC officers and the Chemung County Department of Health.
What changed after Peanut’s death?
The controversy did not end with the negative test. In 2025, New York lawmakers introduced bills known as Peanut’s Law: Humane Animal Protection Act. The proposals would add due-process protections for animals held by sanctuaries and, in certain circumstances, create a 72-hour waiting period before euthanasia.
As of the latest legislative listings available in 2026, the bills remained active proposals rather than enacted law. Their introduction showed how the case moved from a local enforcement action into a debate about wildlife rehabilitation, animal sanctuaries and the limits of government intervention.
Peanut’s story remains politically potent because both sides see a different lesson in it. Critics of the sanctuary point to public-health duties and New York’s rules on wild animals. Supporters see a beloved animal destroyed by a process that offered too little time for review. The MAGA backlash emerged from that unresolved tension—and from the campaign’s ability to turn a highly shareable tragedy into a symbol of resistance to government authority.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.FAQ
Who was Peanut the squirrel?
Peanut, or P’Nut, was an orphaned eastern gray squirrel rescued by Mark Longo. He lived at P’Nut’s Freedom Farm in Pine City, New York, and became popular through social-media videos.
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Why did New York officials euthanize Peanut?
Officials said Peanut had bitten someone involved in the investigation and that rabies testing was required. Because testing generally requires tissue from the animal, Peanut was euthanized. His rabies test was later negative.
Did Donald Trump order or announce Peanut’s euthanasia?
No. The seizure involved New York State and Chemung County officials, not the federal government. A widely shared statement attributed to Trump was fabricated, according to fact-checkers and the Trump campaign.
Why did Peanut’s death become a MAGA issue?
Trump supporters used the case as an example of alleged government overreach and anti-bureaucratic politics. Elon Musk, JD Vance and the Trump campaign amplified the story, turning Peanut into a symbol during the 2024 election campaign.
The Bottom Line
Peanut’s death became a MAGA flashpoint because a complicated wildlife and rabies investigation was transformed into a simple political narrative about government overreach. The case involved New York state and county authorities—not the Biden administration—and Peanut was not confirmed rabid; his test was negative after euthanasia.
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