US President Donald Trump caused quite a stir in October when he tweeted out a photoshopped image of himself bestowing a medal upon the hero US military dog who helped kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the former leader of ISIS. While that photo isn’t real, the dog certainly is. And now, Trump really has honored the heroic canine at an official White House event.
Trump praised “the world’s most famous dog”, named Conan, as an “ultimate fighter” that unleashed a “flawless attack” against the terrorist al-Baghdadi.
“We actually just gave Conan a medal and a plaque,” he confirmed with reporters in the Rose Garden. “I actually think Conan knew exactly what was going on. That’s a dog that is very, very special.”
All the while, Conan smiled happily, basking in the attention and compliments being lavished upon her by the president as the vice president patted her on the head.
When asked about the dog’s future, Trump informed reporters that Conan would not be retiring any time soon and that she is still in the “prime time” of her career. There had been some speculation that the president might adopt Conan as the official White House dog, but his comments suggest otherwise.
Trump added that he met with military personnel who participated in the raid alongside Conan, but said that “for obvious reasons, they can’t be out in front of the media.”
Who is the hero dog Conan?
Following the suicide of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whom Trump described as “whimpering and crying all the way” as he fled from the US military into a tunnel where he committed the ultimate act of cowardice by taking not only his own life but the lives of three of his children.
Conan was there that night, chasing after al-Baghdadi moments before he died. She was injured by some exposed electrical wires during the raid.
According to military officials, she has been involved in over 50 combat missions; however, she primarily rose to prominence following a tweet by Trump declassifying her picture. That picture would later be used in the doctored image he used to promote her as an “American Hero”.
Since then, Conan has been seen as a symbol of unity and strength by many Americans and dog lovers around the world.
