A SQUIRREL that scampered across the stage before Kamala Harris gave her concession speech on Wednesday has become a bizarre internet sensation.
Social media users labelled it the ghost of Peanut – a beloved pet rodent which was euthanized by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
A squirrel ran across the stage before Kamala came on to give her concession speech
The little creature scampered across the platform
Peanut the squirrel – kept as a pet by a New Yorker – became an unlikely martyr for Republicans in this election
Peanut’s owner Mark Longo shared snaps of the pair regularly online – to the delight of thousands of followers.
Anonymous complaints led the DEC to raid Longo’s home, confiscating Peanut and putting him down to perform a rabies test after he bit one of the officials.
The furry creature strangely found fame as a Republican martyr when Trump’s running mate JD Vance said the story had his Republican ticket leader “fired up”.
Following Harris’ epic defeat yesterday people online joked that the squirrel’s ghost had come back to haunt her – moments before her emotional concession.
One user posted on X: “The ghost off peanut the squirrel showed up to haunt Kamala at her ‘I failed’ speech.”
Someone else exclaimed “The Spirit of PNut lives on!” and a third added “the ghost of Peanut making a victory lap”.
Another wrote “The ghost of Peanut was seen already haunting Kamala”.
Peanut’s owner told the NY Post: “This is much bigger than a squirrel and a raccoon. This is about government overreach.
“We want justice for what transpired at my home. You violated my home. You assassinated my animals.”
The DEC claimed it was forced to perform a rabies test and euthanise Peanut, as well as Longo’s pet raccoon Fred, after Peanut nipped one of their members of staff.
Longo previously slammed the decision, saying the DEC – held under Democrat control in New York – deserve a “special place in hell”.
He accused the DEC of using excessive force during the raid on his home in October and shared fears the creature had been decapitated by officials.
JD Vance said the day before the election: “The same government that doesn’t care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country, doesn’t want us to have pets.”
“It’s the craziest thing,” he added.
Peanut had been living with his owner Longo for seven years – after the New Yorker saw the squirrel’s mother get hit by a car.
He nursed Peanut for eight months before sending him back into the wild – only for the squirrel to show up on his doorstep with a broken tail bone.
Longo has run an Instagram page for his pet since then, with over half a million followers tuning in to watch his antics.
Videos of him showed the squirrel greeting Longo after he arrived home, or enjoying waffles, much to the internet’s delight.
He told TMZ he thinks the furry pet was taken because of his OnlyFans account – as authorities asked if he had cameras in his home during the raid.
Longo believed the person who complained did it because they didn’t approve of his posting on the adult site.
Speaking about the content he makes with his wife, Longo said: “We’re not trying to promote this.
“That is not anything what’s going on.”
A GoFundMe set up by Mark Longo for his pet squirrel Peanut has raised over $200,000
The rodent lived with Mark Longo for years
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