Politician hopes to give Obama a donkey at the Summit of the Americas
By MANUEL RUEDA
Update: Colombian media revealed on Monday evening that Obama did not take the donkey home but he did send a hand-written thank you note, to the donkey’s owner, Silvio Carrasquilla.
“Silvio, thank you so much for your support,” the note reads. “It is good to know that I have such great friends in Colombia!”
According to Bogota newspaper El Tiempo, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos personally told the US president about Carrasquilla’s admiration for him, and about his efforts to give Obama a donkey during the Summit of the Americas.
“There are no words in the dictionary to describe the gratefulness I feel for this gesture,” Carrasquilla said of the presidential thank you note.
He added that the donkey would be waiting for Obama, if he ever returns to Colombia.
Silvio Carrasquilla, a resident of a small town on the outskirts of Cartagena, has a very special gift for the President of the United States.
A two week old baby donkey called Demo.
“The donkey is a symbol of the Democratic Party in the United States, so with all our love, we thought we should present a donkey to Obama so he can take it to the White House lawn,” Carrasquilla said on Saturday, as he waited for Obama to leave his hotel in the Colombian city of Cartagena.
Obama is currently participating in the Summit of the Americas where he is meeting with regional heads of state to discuss issues such as the drug trade and poverty eradication.
Carrasquilla was the mayor of Turbaco (population 60,000) from 2004 to 2007, his admiration for the US President began shortly after that.
“He went up against Hillary Clinton, a white lady, from a big family, with lots of money, that is when we started to become fond of him,” Carrasquilla told Univision News.
Carrasquilla has not yet met Obama, but he is hoping that the U.S. president will notice his gift, and agree to see him.
He’s even prepared a short message for the President. Check out the above video for more.
