Marlon Bundo (2012/2013 – January 15, 2022), also known as Bunny of the United States (BOTUS), was a

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...

belonging to the family of

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

, the 48th

vice president of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

from 2017 to 2021. Bundo was initially adopted for a film project by Pence's daughter

Charlotte Pence Charlotte Pence Bond (born Charlotte Rose Pence; June 25, 1993) is an American writer who is the second child and elder daughter of former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and former Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence. ...

during her freshman year. His name is a pun on actor

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, chosen after Bundo's previous owner said "

Make me an offer ''Make Me an Offer'' is a 1954 Eastmancolor British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Peter Finch, Adrienne Corri, Rosalie Crutchley and Finlay Currie. It is based on the 1952 novel of the same title by Wolf Mankowitz. It was d ...

" when Pence asked about his price. He was the first rabbit to have traveled on

Air Force Two Air Force Two is the air traffic control designated call sign held by any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the U.S. vice president, but not the president. The term is often associated with the Boeing C-32, a modified 757 which is mos ...

, had a popular

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account, and was the subject of four children's books.

Biography

The rabbit Marlon Bundo was named after actor

and lived with the Pence family at the

United States Naval Observatory United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

from 2017 until 2021. Other pets owned by the second couple include an

Australian Shepherd The Australian Shepherd is a breed of herding dog from the United States. The name of the breed is technically a misnomer, as it was developed in California in the 19th century; the breed was unknown in Australia at the time. It is claimed that A ...

named Harley, and two cats named Hazel and Pickle. Marlon Bundo was acquired via

Craigslist Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. Craig Newmark began the ...

by Pence's daughter

in 2013 when she was a freshman at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...

. At the time she needed a rabbit for a short film student project. In the film, Bundo portrayed a "symbol of rebellion in a world of conformity" as a rabbit who repeatedly escapes from his cage. Before this, Bundo was "just another scrappy Chicago bunny". Pence texted Bundo's owner to ask how much the rabbit cost, and the owner replied, "Make me an offer." In

Mario Puzo Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...

's novel ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...

'' and the 1972 film of the same name, Marlon Brando's Don

Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfathe ...

says, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." Pence's friend, a Brando fan, noticed the similarity between the seller and Corleone, and suggested naming the rabbit Marlon Brando. Pence finally decided to name him Marlon Bundo. Speaking to the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' Charlotte recalled:

We drove out to the suburbs, my friends and I, and we picked him up. I think he was like $20. He was in the short film, and I just kept him after that.

Bundo lived with Charlotte throughout college in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, for four years, and was part of a student friends group.^:2^:19 Bundo traveled to Washington, D.C., from his home in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

aboard

in January 2017, making him the first rabbit to ever travel on the plane. He made his official debut in May 2017, appearing at an event honoring Military Appreciation Month at the

Eisenhower Executive Office Building The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB)—formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally as the State, War, and Navy Building—is a U.S. government building situated just west of the White House in the U.S. ca ...

, where he was "admired", according to the official transcript of the event. Bundo was featured on the White House's

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and profession ...

landing page on May 11, 2017, detailing his first trip to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. Bundo did not return to the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped roo ...

again after March 20, 2018.^:7 President

Trump Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...

and First Lady

Melania Trump Melania Trump ( ; born Melanija Knavs , Germanized as Melania Knauss ; born April 26, 1970) is a Slovene-American former model and businesswoman who served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 as the wife of 45th president Do ...

met Bundo at a dinner at the Naval Observatory. Melania Trump invited Karen and Charlotte Pence to read their book at the 2018 White House Easter Egg Roll, but the Pences did not accept because they – and Marlon Bundo – were taking a "mini-spring vacation". Karen Pence said, "You have to have the bunny on Easter." The Pence family originally drew criticism online and questions regarding their care for Bundo, based on the observation that his nails were "far too long". As Callie Beusman, a senior editor with

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); ...

commented:

The Pence family cannot claim ignorance on these issues because insane rabbit people (including myself) frequently comment on Marlon Bundo's Instagrams with alarm and concern.

The piece went on to observe that "BOTUS otherwise seems well-loved". The White House press office did not respond to a related request for comment on the matter. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' later observed that Bundo "promptly got a pedicure".

Social media

Bundo had his own

account, which has over 33,000 followers . Charlotte created his Instagram account after her father's inauguration, "not knowing if anybody would follow it". Four former U.S. presidents have had rabbits; Bundo is the first in such circles with a social media account. According to ''

The Fresno Bee ''The Fresno Bee'' is a daily newspaper serving Fresno, California, and surrounding counties in that U.S. state's central San Joaquin Valley. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and ranks fourth in circulation among the company's newspaper ...

'', Bundo generally avoided partisan politics online, preferring instead to stick to "posting pictures of his bunny life, including being hugged by his mom, Charlotte Pence, the vice president's ... daughter, hopping around the house, and playing hide and seek with Pickle, the family cat". Photographs on Bundo's Instagram account show him "reading the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

, taking phone calls, signing documents, and working out on the treadmill". Because of Bundo's popularity on Instagram, Charlotte and Karen decided to create a children's book about him. Bundo's death was announced on social media by Charlotte on .

Children's books

Bundo was the main character in four children's books. '' Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President'' features Bundo accompanying Vice President Pence through his daily activities as seen from Bundo's perspective. It is written by Charlotte Pence and illustrated by Karen Pence. Bundo posed for all illustrations in the book.^:28 As of March 2018, Bundo was scheduled to accompany Charlotte and Karen on the press tour for the book. Proceeds from the book benefit Tracy's Kids, an

art therapy Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art the ...

program, and

The A21 Campaign The A21 Campaign (commonly referred to as "A21") is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to fight human trafficking, including sexual exploitation and trafficking, forced slave labor, bonded labor, involuntary do ...

, which works to combat

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extr ...

. As of late March 2018, the book had sold approximately 100,000 copies, entered the top-ten books on

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

, and was the No. 7 Children's Picture Book on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Charlotte and Karen eventually completed a bunny trilogy with two additional books: ''Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Nation's Capital'' and ''Marlon Bundo's Best Christmas Ever''. '' A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' is a book published by the television show ''

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. ''Last ...

''. It was written as a parody of ''Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President''. It details a gay romance between Marlon Bundo and a rabbit named Wesley. Authorship is attributed to Bundo as well as ''Last Week Tonight'' writer

Jill Twiss Jill Twiss is an American writer best known for her work on the HBO show ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'' She is a senior writer on the show and she portrays its "Janice from Accounting" character. She authored a children's book called ''A D ...

. In response to the release of the parody, Marlon Bundo's Instagram account made a post featuring a photo of him wearing a bow tie nearly identical to the one worn by the bunny in the book. The photograph was accompanied by comment from the account reading: "Not gonna lie, I do look pretty fly in a bow tie. The only thing better than one bunny book for charity is...TWO bunny books for charity. #BOTUS - Marlon" Proceeds from the book benefit

The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning ( LGBTQ) youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number ...

, which operates a

crisis hotline A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers. The first such service was founded in England in 1951 and such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the ...

for members of the

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

community, and AIDS United. As of late March 2018 the book had sold approximately 400,000 copies, spent several days as the top-selling book on Amazon, and was the No. 1 Children's Picture Book on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list.

Reception

In December 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

reportedly described the presence of Bundo and the other family pets in the vice presidential residence as "low class". Writing for ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'', Ellie Shechet acknowledged Bundo's cuteness, but continued that it is "an indisputable fact that underneath his huge blinky eyes and nice fat tummy lies the twisted heart of a dirty trickster", and further accused him of using his "good looks and pleasant demeanor as a fluffy tool of mass obfuscation". ''

'' praised Bundo as "ridiculously cute" and "a natural actor". Others called him the "only positive thing in Washington, D.C." Writing in ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', Bridget Read summarized Bundo as "clearly a lover, not a fighter, based on how much he loves snuggling", but also that he is "clearly not new to navigating his own PR, and has demonstrated some media training". Read concluded by saying that Bundo's "social media rollout" may be an indication that he is planning to run for public office. Speaking to

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...

, comedian John Oliver described Bundo as a "fantastic rabbit", adding, "if you have a problem with that bunny you're dead inside".

Explanatory notes

References

External links

*
White House rabbit Marlon Bundo makes his debut
video from ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bundo, Marlon 2010s animal births 2022 animal deaths Animals in politics Cultural depictions of Marlon Brando Individual rabbits Mike Pence Pence family Pets in the United States