Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Marlon Bundo, the social media-famous pet bunny of former Vice President Mike Pence\u2019s family, has died, according to a Saturday post<\/a> on his Instagram account. <\/p>\n Bundo, who earned the moniker \u201cBOTUS\u201d thanks to his relationship to the second family, was the star of three children\u2019s books by Karen Pence and her daughter, Charlotte \u2014 \u201cMarlon Bundo\u2019s A Day in the Life of the Vice President,\u201d \u201cMarlon Bundo\u2019s A Day in the Nation\u2019s Capital\u201d and \u201cMarlon Bundo\u2019s Best Christmas Ever.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cMarlon, you came into our lives at just the moment we needed you most,\u201d the family wrote on Marlon Bundo\u2019s Instagram alongside a photo of him with former second daughter Charlotte Pence Bond. \u201cI 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.\u201d <\/p>\n Though Bundo\u2019s fame earned him over 30,000 Instagram followers<\/a>, POLITICO reported in 2019<\/a> that the second bunny\u2019s books weren\u2019t big moneymakers, having generated between $2,501 and $5,000 in income for the Pence family that past year. Bundo also wasn\u2019t without his critics \u2014 an adviser at the time told The Atlantic<\/a> that then-President Donald Trump thought it was \u201clow class\u201d for the Pences to bring their family pets to the Naval Observatory. <\/p>\n But the beloved bunny made history, being the first rabbit known to have traveled on Air Force Two. And adding to Bundo\u2019s acclaim was a parody book called \u201cLast Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo,\u201d<\/a> which dropped in 2018 and depicted Bundo in a romantic relationship with another male bunny \u2014 a callout to the then-vice president\u2019s oft-criticized stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Charlotte Pence at the time said she was \u201call for\u201d the parody book and its financial contributions to charities.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Charlotte Pence Bond remembered her \u201cwild times\u201d with the bunny and thanked him for the place he had in their family. <\/p>\n \u201cGod knew we\u2019d need this ball of love in our lives and that he\u2019d 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.\u201d <\/p>\n