Source: Politics
Marlon Bundo, the social media-famous pet bunny of former Vice President Mike Pence’s family, has died, according to a Saturday post on his Instagram account.
Bundo, who earned the moniker “BOTUS” thanks to his relationship to the second family, was the star of three children’s books by Karen Pence and her daughter, Charlotte — “Marlon Bundo’s A Day in the Life of the Vice President,” “Marlon Bundo’s A Day in the Nation’s Capital” and “Marlon Bundo’s Best Christmas Ever.”
“Marlon, you came into our lives at just the moment we needed you most,” the family wrote on Marlon Bundo’s Instagram alongside a photo of him with former second daughter Charlotte Pence Bond. “I never could have predicted that a little bunny I found on Craigslist for a college student film would give me the courage to write my first book and be the inspiration for two more, all with the best illustrator I could imagine.”
Though Bundo’s fame earned him over 30,000 Instagram followers, POLITICO reported in 2019 that the second bunny’s books weren’t big moneymakers, having generated between $2,501 and $5,000 in income for the Pence family that past year. Bundo also wasn’t without his critics — an adviser at the time told The Atlantic that then-President Donald Trump thought it was “low class” for the Pences to bring their family pets to the Naval Observatory.
But the beloved bunny made history, being the first rabbit known to have traveled on Air Force Two. And adding to Bundo’s acclaim was a parody book called “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo,” which dropped in 2018 and depicted Bundo in a romantic relationship with another male bunny — a callout to the then-vice president’s oft-criticized stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Charlotte Pence at the time said she was “all for” the parody book and its financial contributions to charities.
On Saturday, Charlotte Pence Bond remembered her “wild times” with the bunny and thanked him for the place he had in their family.
“God knew we’d need this ball of love in our lives and that he’d bring such joy to people all over the world,” she wrote. “Somehow, he taught me how to always try to be kind first and never stop making an effort to get along.”