‘85% of people love him’: Biden backs Major following biting incident at White House

President Joe Biden has joked that his dog Major is loved by “85 per cent” of people at the White House, following a biting incident at the residence earlier this month.

Major, one of two German Shepherds owned by Mr Biden and US first lady Jill Biden, recently made headlines after he caused “a minor injury” to an individual at the White House.

Shortly after the incident, Major alongside the couple’s other dog Champ, was taken to their home in Delaware, where he currently remains.

Speaking in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday, Mr Biden was asked about the incident, with the host enquiring: “Is Major out of the dog house?”

“The answer’s yes,” a visibly amused Mr Biden answered, adding: “Look, Major was a rescue pup. Major did not bite someone and penetrate the skin.

“What happens is for - the - I guess what surprised me is the White House itself, living there. Every door you turn to, there’s a guy there in a black jacket. You turn a corner, and there’s two people you don’t know at all.”

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Mr Biden said that the new environment startled Major, explaining that during the incident, the dog moved “to protect,” before adding that he’s “a sweet dog. 85 per cent of the people there love him. He just - all he does is lick them and wag his tail.”

The president confirmed that in order to help the dog deal with the surroundings, Major “is being trained now,” and said that he planned to see him last night.

Mr Biden then clarified that he did not “banish him to home,” explaining that Major and Champ went to Delaware because “Jill was gonna be away for four days. I was gonna be away for two so we took him home.”

It has been a rocky start to life at the White House for both Major and Champ, as Pro-Trump news network Newsmax launched a bizarre attack on the latter in regards to his appearance last month.

Newsmax host Greg Kelly and Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley condemned the 12-year-old Champ as “dirty” and “unlike a presidential dog” during a widely-mocked segment in February.

While in late November, following his presidential election win, Mr Biden fractured his foot after slipping when playing with Major, causing him to wear a protective boot for a few weeks.

Major and Champ are the first pets in the White House since early 2017, as Donald Trump and Melania Trump did not have any living with them during their four years in the residence.