Was that the one that attacked him? Did he befriend it and take it back to the White House?!?
No, I was assuming that he would–in his head–associate the troublesome bad-press rabbit with the troublesome bad-press brother.
And I think there’s something wrong with you for thinking that.
I agree. That seems like a pretty ridiculous; no, insane concept. “You can afford to live with an animal but do not, shame on you!” 
Cool, cool. And yet somehow I think it’s not a coincidence that a malevolent sociopath like Trump also happens to be one of only two presidents to have not had a pet (and the other, Polk, still grew up with horses). There is something about the ability to form a bond with a non-human lifeform that reflects a person’s ability to bond with other humans outside their tribal circle. For a person without the tiniest practical objection to still not have a pet is, perhaps not a guarantee of something wrong, but at the least a hint.
Trump did say this:
“You do love your dogs, don’t you?” Mr. Trump said. “I wouldn’t mind having one, honestly, but I don’t have any time. How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?”
Like everything Trump says, it contains a lie (which, as is so common, is contradicted in the very next sentence). I don’t think I need to elaborate on how these are the words of a malignant narcissist.
Sure, mate, whatever you say…
Yes, sometimes there are more important factors at play. You got me there. Still, I’d also say there’s something wrong with a person that is completely indifferent to all forms of artistic expression. That Hitler was a painter doesn’t contradict this.
Anyway, Hitler fed his dog cyanide to prove Himmler was a traitor. Not sure that represents a healthy relationship with his animals. I’m sure we can agree that an animal abuser is far worse than a non-pet-haver.
You said the inverse of that - that bonding with an animal reflects humane empathy - the equivalent would be saying that Hitler being a painter reflecting some goodness in his soul.
And Hitler was going to kill his dog anyway. Doing it with cyanide was just a two birds with one stone thing. Like Wiki says - afterwards, “Hitler became completely inconsolable”.
Point is - some people just don’t want pets (just like some don’t want kids) and that doesn’t say jackshit about their psyche. I have no desire to own a pet anymore, but I get on just great with, and feel lots of affection for, the ones my wife and kids have. But pet care is a hassle I can do without.
Well, Trump had Graham, so it’s a nesting doll of lapdogs. Lapdogs all the way down, if you will.
“B-b-b-b-but I thought I was his favorite lapdog…” 
whined Mike Pence.
I think the real distinction is more about how well you get along with animals. Even if you don’t take care of them, you show them affection and have them in your house without objection, so that still says decent things about you.
I really do have a hard time thinking of nice people who seem to hate animals. And I know there is some correlation between cruelty to animals and sociopathy. Empathy for humans and animals seem to go together. Even the cranky guys who love animals seem to be the type who warm up when you get to know them.
Heck, one reason you may choose not to have a pet is that you think you are too busy/exhasuted/sick to be a good caretaker. That’s empathy, too.
Yeah, there is a wide gulf between “I don’t want to have a pet” and “I hate animals”. The latter is something I see as a warning sign.
There are animals that hate me though. At some point in the past I must have annoyed the Crow King so those creatures have had it out for me since. Seagulls are close behind in the species hatred for me.
I’d kept cats since I was first on my own, but since my divorce 7 years ago I’ve had no interest. Mostly because I’ve raised cats from kitten to old age multiple times, and the last several years of a cat’s life isn’t fun for the cat really. My last cat lived to something like 19 and was a super grumpy old soul when elderly. And now I’m old enough a cat could outlive me so there’s that. So I like cats, but don’t want one.
I’d have a dog if I could afford it and someone else would pick up the poop.
Just imagining the warmth on the hand through the little trash bag is enough to make my tummy sort of wobble.
I’ve already shown that’s absolute bullshit. Hitler loved his dogs. Nazis in general really loved dogs. And Caligula really loved his horse.
Yes, zoosadism is an indicator of psychopathy. The inverse, which is what DrS and now you are saying, is just not true.
While I agree with your position, saying you have “shown” something by asserting a couple anecdotes is dubious.
It only takes one. Looking up other utter bastards who kept pets is a trivial exercise for anyone with a functioning search engine and brain, but really, after “Hitler loved dogs”, no other examples are necessary. Posting a pic of some other utter human scum, like Churchill with his poodle, is not needed at that point.
Also, it’s not an anecdote in the evidence sense. It’s a cold, hard fact with plenty of evidence.
That’s your misreading of what I said. It should be especially obvious in the context of my original example, Trump, in that he is apparently the only example of a president who could not find any value whatsoever in a non-human companion, and whose stated reason for not having a dog related to how he would look when walking it.
Regardless, we seem to be in different universes regarding how we describe reality. I would say a person living in a household with a pet and can show affection for it has a pet.
A person with enough things on their plate that they cannot justify having a pet has made a completely reasonable, even admirable decision. But this argument cannot possibly apply to the president, who if required has a team of people ready to supply an extremely high level of care.
No you can’t disprove a generalised proposition by a couple of (potentially) isolated examples.
The more so when the examples you give are surrounded by such mythology that you don’t really know what went on. Psychos (like Hitler) don’t let themselves be photographed kicking their dog, nor does anyone in their inner circle admit anything nasty about them. And, or alternatively, someone like Hitler was so frickin’ out there, psychologically, that using him as an example is problematic.
Look I agree with you but your argumentation is weaksauce.