Social media claim Peanut, the euthanized internet-famous rodent, had the last laugh

WASHINGTON, Mov. 7 – It could be a coincidence – but it was an eerie reminder of how the death of a rescued squirrel could actually have influenced the results of the US presidential election.

Shortly before Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to give her speech at Howard University following Donald Trump's victory, a squirrel was spotted running across the stage.

It was enough for many on social media to claim (albeit jokingly) that it was the ghost of internet-famous Peanut.

Comments ranged from “The spirit of Peanut takes a victory lap” to “The spirit of PNut lives on!”

Who is Peanut (also spelled P?'mother of PNUT)

Peanut's conservative owner, Mark Longo, told it New York Postthat he had taken Peanut in seven years earlier as an orphaned cub (baby squirrel) after his mother was hit by a car, and raised the small, charming rodent.

The squirrel quickly became an internet sensation – although his often shirtless model owner was apparently the one who cashed in on the fame.

Although the popular TikTok account was owned by “Peanut the Squirrel,” it was a booster for Longo's OnlyFans account “Squirrel Daddy,” which capitalized on the duo's fame (though Peanut was not involved in the more adult selection of videos).

So what happened?

Multiple anonymous complaints brought at least six state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials to 34-year-old Longo's home in Pine City.

State law prohibits owning wild animals as pets.

DEC agents seized Peanut as well as Fred the raccoon, who was also in Longo's care.

Peanut is said to have bitten a person involved in the investigation, after which both animals were euthanized and tested for rabies.

Longo and his wife Daniela took to social media to vent and protest against the use of American tax dollars spent on killing their beloved pets.

What does this have to do with the US presidential election?

Stay with us.

The Republican campaign quickly addressed the issue in the final days of the presidential campaign when JD Vance, now vice president-elect, stood at the podium during a campaign rally in Sanford, North Carolina last Sunday and told his supporters that Trump Peanut’s death was “burnt in” over it.

“The same government that doesn’t care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country doesn’t want us to have pets. It’s the craziest thing.”

Dozens of other Republican figures followed suit, saying Peanut's untimely death was a result of government overreach.

New York Congressman Nick Langworth expressed his frustration on social media, condemning Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for her “misguided priorities.”

“In New York State, we have sanctuaries for illegal immigrants while innocent pets are being killed.”

Even X-Boss boss Elon Musk chimed in with a picture of Peanut and claimed, “The government kidnapped and executed an orphaned squirrel.”

Peanut's death was then linked to the infamous and baseless conspiracy theory that Trump promoted during the presidential debate in September – that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, had eaten their neighbors' pets.

You mean Peanut and Fred became right-wing martyrs?

Apparently yes.

An official Trump campaign TikTok account posted a slideshow to its feed last Sunday that said, “RIP Peanut. needlessly murdered by Democratic bureaucrats in New York. We will avenge you at the ballot box on Tuesday.”

In the final days before the election, AI-generated Trump, Peanut and Fred memes with the same sentiment were spread.

AI-generated images were commonplace, bringing in Peanut and Fred for the MAGA campaign. — Image by X/robbystarbuck

Did Peanut and Fred have any influence on the election? Who knows. Considering that many Americans were surprised to find out that Joe Biden's name wasn't on the ballot despite his exit in July, it's hard to say what kind of campaign strategy would actually influence them.