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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Peanut did not start out as a political animal. He was an internet-famous orphaned squirrel cared for by Mark Longo and became a social-media personality through years of videos. New York environmental officers seized Peanut and Fred, a raccoon, on October 30, 2024; officials said both were euthanized for rabies testing after Peanut bit a person involved in the investigation. Both later tested negative.
In the days before the November 5 presidential election, the wildlife-enforcement case became a conservative symbol of government overreach. The Trump campaign and JD Vance used Peanut in election messaging, while a separate statement falsely attributed to Donald Trump also circulated. The documented story distinguishes the agencies’ stated public-health rationale from campaign framing; available evidence does not show that the story changed votes or the election result.
The short answer
Peanut, also called P’Nut or PNUT, was an orphaned squirrel cared for by Mark Longo who became famous through social-media videos. New York officials seized him and Fred, a raccoon, from Longo’s home and sanctuary in Pine City on October 30, 2024.
Officials said the animals were euthanized to test for rabies because they shared a residence with people and a person involved in the investigation had been bitten. On November 12, The Associated Press reported, citing Chemung County Executive Chris Moss, that both animals tested negative.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchCampaign amplification followed in the final days before Election Day. JD Vance invoked Peanut at a North Carolina rally, and the Trump campaign’s official TikTok urged voters to respond at the ballot box. A purported statement from Trump personally was fabricated, according to PolitiFact.
Peanut became an election-week symbol, but documented attention and campaign messages are not evidence that the story materially changed voting or the result.
Who was Peanut the squirrel?
Longo said he found Peanut in New York City around 2017 after the squirrel’s mother was struck by a car. He cared for Peanut and later tried to release him. Longo said Peanut returned with severe tail injuries, including exposed bone, and he continued caring for him.
Videos showed Peanut on Longo’s shoulder, eating waffles, hiding almonds, jumping through hoops and wearing tiny hats. The familiar character helped make the later political story emotionally accessible to viewers.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesLongo and Daniela Bittner established P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in upstate New York. The sanctuary’s account describes Peanut as the animal who inspired the organization. He was a named animal with a large online audience, not simply a wild squirrel appearing in a news photograph.
The sanctuary was in Pine City, in rural Chemung County—not New York City. New York DEC officers and partner agencies carried out the seizure.
Why did New York officials seize Peanut and Fred?
Later records-based reporting by The Associated Press described complaints about the facility, renewed agency attention amid additional complaints, and discussion of the raccoon’s arrival. Officials searched Longo’s home and sanctuary on October 30, 2024. AP’s reconstruction reported that Peanut bit a wildlife biologist during the search and that the bite informed the decision to test the animals for rabies.
The agencies’ public explanation came on November 1. DEC and Chemung County Department of Health said the animals were euthanized for testing because of the potential for human exposure after a person involved in the investigation had been bitten. This was the stated public-health rationale; it does not resolve every question about the agency’s procedure or the wildlife-possession dispute.
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New York rules distinguish licensed wildlife rehabilitation, generally tied to releasing recovered animals, from keeping wild animals as pets. The Washington Post summarized educational-animal registration as a route for keeping a wild animal. The sources do not fully resolve whether every exception or procedural requirement applied to Peanut and Fred.
Why were Peanut and Fred euthanized?
DEC and the county health department said the animals were euthanized so their remains could be tested for rabies. Their November 1 statement, as reported by AP, said: “To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized.” Rabies testing requires brain tissue, according to the reporting.
- Peanut reportedly bit a person involved in the investigation. AP’s later records-based account says a wildlife biologist was bitten during the search and that the bite informed the final decision.
- Fred was a raccoon. Officials’ contemporaneous explanation cited potential human rabies exposure, including the fact that the animals shared a residence with people.
On November 12, AP reported that Chemung County Executive Chris Moss said both animals tested negative for rabies. That later result should not be confused with what officials knew when they made the decision to test.
- Peanut was not known to have rabies when officials seized him.
- The negative tests do not by themselves establish whether the decision was unlawful or unreasonable based on information available at the time.
- “Murdered” was campaign rhetoric, not the official description; officials said the animals were euthanized for rabies testing.
How a local seizure became an election symbol
The political response gathered force in the final days before Election Day.
- The Trump campaign’s official TikTok posted a memorial image and urged voters to respond at the ballot box. The Washington Post reported about 9 million views for the post in its November 5, 2024 coverage; this was a dated platform metric, not a current or independently measured count.
- At a November 3 rally in Sanford, North Carolina, JD Vance connected the case to a broader claim about government and pets. PolitiFact quoted Vance saying: “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.”
- Online political figures and meme accounts framed Peanut’s death as evidence of government overreach.
The Washington Post reported about 750,000 Instagram followers for Peanut’s account on November 5, 2024. That approximate account size is specific to the outlet and date, not a current count.
These were documented political messages and online attention. They do not establish that the government’s actions were politically motivated or that the story changed voters’ choices.
The fake Trump statement
A social-media image styled as an official statement from Donald Trump circulated during the uproar. PolitiFact found no evidence it appeared on Trump’s website or social accounts, and reported that a campaign spokesperson called it fake. The Trump campaign’s real TikTok post about Peanut does not authenticate a separate statement falsely attributed to Trump personally.
PolitiFact’s fact-check rated the purported statement false. Do not quote the fabricated text as Trump’s words.
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What the viral story left out
| Claim or frame | What the sources establish |
|---|---|
| Officials suddenly killed a pet without explanation. | Officers seized the animals on October 30. DEC and Chemung County publicly explained on November 1 that they were euthanized for rabies testing after a person involved in the investigation was bitten. |
| Peanut had rabies. | AP reported on November 12 that both Peanut and Fred tested negative. |
| The campaign message and the statement attributed to Trump were both authentic. | The Trump campaign used Peanut in a TikTok post; PolitiFact found the separate purported personal statement from Trump was fabricated. |
| Online attention proves Peanut changed the election. | Sources document campaign use, reported platform views and backlash, but do not demonstrate an effect on votes or the result. |
The public-health and wildlife-regulation account and the political interpretation are distinct. Officials cited potential rabies exposure and wildlife rules; campaign figures presented Peanut as a symbol of government overreach. The evidence supports describing both accounts, not treating campaign rhetoric as a finding about the legality or motive of the enforcement action.
Threats and backlash
The Washington Post reported that New York State Police received reports of ten bomb threats at DEC office locations after the uproar; none was deemed credible at the time of that report, and the investigation was ongoing. The figure is a contemporaneous report, not a claim about a final investigation outcome.
The episode illustrates how political amplification can have consequences beyond online argument. Keep reported threats attributed to the outlet and agencies cited, rather than presenting them as independently verified here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A concise timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 30, 2024 | New York DEC officers seized Peanut and Fred from Longo’s home and sanctuary in Pine City. |
| November 1, 2024 | DEC and Chemung County publicly said the animals were euthanized for rabies testing after a person involved in the investigation was bitten. |
| November 3, 2024 | JD Vance invoked Peanut at a rally in Sanford, North Carolina. |
| November 3–5, 2024 | The Trump campaign’s official TikTok used Peanut in a message urging voters to respond at the ballot box. |
| November 4, 2024 | PolitiFact rated the purported Trump statement about Peanut false. |
| November 5, 2024 | The Washington Post reported its dated view and follower metrics and covered reported threats. |
| November 12, 2024 | AP reported that Peanut and Fred tested negative for rabies. |
| April 22, 2025 | AP published a reconstruction based on records obtained through freedom-of-information requests. |
Did Peanut change the election?
Peanut became an election-week symbol: Vance invoked him, the Trump campaign used him in a post, and online accounts circulated political interpretations and memes. Those are examples of campaign amplification and attention.
Best Value
The sources reviewed here do not demonstrate that Peanut materially changed votes, turnout or the election result. The story’s significance is the speed with which a local wildlife-enforcement case became a national political grievance in the campaign’s final days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were Peanut and Fred seized?
New York DEC officers seized the squirrel and raccoon from Mark Longo’s home and sanctuary on October 30, 2024. Later AP reporting described complaints about the facility and agency attention; the sources do not settle every legal or procedural question.
Why were the animals euthanized?
DEC and Chemung County said they were euthanized for rabies testing after a person involved in the investigation was bitten. AP later reported that both tested negative.
Did Donald Trump personally issue the viral Peanut statement?
No. PolitiFact found the purported personal statement was fabricated. The Trump campaign did make a separate, authentic TikTok post about Peanut.
Did the Peanut story change the 2024 election?
The campaign used Peanut as a message in the final days, but the sources reviewed here do not show that the story changed votes, turnout or the election result.
The Bottom Line
Peanut became a right-wing martyr because campaign figures and online accounts made a local wildlife-enforcement case into a shareable symbol of government overreach just before Election Day. The agencies’ stated rationale was rabies testing after a reported bite; both animals later tested negative, and a viral statement attributed to Trump was fake. The sources document political amplification, not proof that Peanut swung the election.
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