Joe Biden made a joke about his pet dog, Commander, biting Secret Service agents at his New York fundraiser.
The President's German Shepherd has bitten government bodyguards on at least 24 occasions, as was revealed by documents through Freedom of Information requests in February.
Biden seemed to make light of this on Thursday when he reportedly joked: "Harry Truman said: 'If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.'
"I got one and it bit a Secret Service agent."
Commander was sent to live with relatives last autumn "after the White House environment simply proved too much" for him.
This is "despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists," First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement last month.
The FOI documents show that Secret Service agents were bitten on the wrist, forearm, elbow, waist, chest, thigh, and shoulder between October 2022 and July 2023.
They described some serious incidents which include a "deep bite" on an agent's forearm which needed stitches last June, leaving enough blood on the floor that White House tours of the East Wing had to be suspended for 20 minutes.
Another took place the following month when an agent needed six stitches in their hand because of a ''severe deep open wound."
One warning in the documents advised agents to give Commander "lots of room" after noting that "the recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Commander is present."
Commander is not the first dog the Bidens have had this issue with—they also had to send their pet Major to live with family friends for similar reasons.
Peter Shane, a constitutional law professor at New York University, previously told Newsweek that the president could be sued for his dogs' attacks.
He wrote: "I have taught torts for three decades, including animal liability. In that time, I have never come across a case with such a long history of dog attacks from multiple animals in one family.
"There is no question that the Bidens would be strictly liable in these attacks, but have been allowed to escape such liability due to the fact that this is the official residence."
Thursday night's fundraiser welcomed guests including comedian Mindy Kaling, singer Lizzo, singer-actor Queen Latifah, and former presidents Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton.
Chants of "four more years" were heard from the crowd when they were addressed by the current and former presidents.
But the event was not entirely smooth sailing, as hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters gathered to demonstrate against Biden's response to the Israel-Hamas war.
They demanded a ceasefire, with one activist yelling: "Shame on you Joe Biden! Shame on you! You are funding genocide in Palestine."
Biden reiterated calls for stopping "the effort that is resulting in significant deaths of innocent civilians, particularly children" in Gaza, according to pool reporters in the room.
But he added that Israel "is in a position where its very existence is at stake."
Despite the disruption, which highlighted the challenges Biden is facing as he campaigns for a second term, the fundraiser hauled in over $26 million, a record for the campaign.
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