Charlotte & Karen Pence Promote 'Marlon Bundo' Book At Focus On The Family
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) -- Second Lady Karen Pence and her daughter Charlotte promoted their new children's book on Monday about the family pet bunny at Focus on The Family a week after HBO's John Oliver created a parody of the book for children as well.
"When you read the book you'll learn about what every Vice President does but you'll also learn about what a day in the life of Vice President Pence looks like," said Charlotte Pence, the author of "Marlon Bondo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President."
The book is based on Pence's bunny from college. She has had the pet for five years now and he lives in Washington, D.C. at the vice president's residence. His name is a reference to the famous actor, Marlon Brando. Another nickname for the bunny is "BOTUS" just like "POTUS" and the acronym "Bunny of the United States" now that he lives in the nation's capital and has attended official events with the vice president.
"The owner said make me an offer so it became this Godfather joke," she explained.
A day before the book was released, HBO's John Oliver announced on his show, "Last Week Tonight," that he had created his own book about the bunny. Oliver criticized the vice president for his support of Focus on the Family, based in the Springs, and their support of gay conversion therapy. He singled out the event at the organization's headquarters as part of his desire to create a parody, "A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo." In Oliver's book, a boy bunny falls in love with another boy bunny. The Pences reacted to the decision to make a book about BOTUS.
"It's a book about a bunny, a real bunny, we can have fun, we come together over it," Charlotte Pence told CBS4. "I bought the book, I support the charities, I think that they're great organizations that I'm happy to support."
The Second Lady also made supportive comments about the book pointing out that Marlon Bundo appreciated the second story about him on Instagram.
"He said the only thing better than one bunny book for charity, is two bunny books for charity," said Mrs. Pence.
The original book will support two charities picked out by the Pences. A21, a nonprofit focused on abolishing human trafficking was selected by the vice president's daughter. While her mother, who illustrated the book, chose Tracy's Kids with a focus on kids with cancer and Riley's Children's Hospital, both use art therapy.
Oliver is using his book to support The Trevor Project, an organization helping LGBTQ youth in crisis and AIDS United, a nonprofit trying to eradicate the AIDS Epidemic.
Shawn Chitnis reports for CBS4 News at 10 on weekends and CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the week. Email him story ideas at smchitnis@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
