Former President Donald J. Trump repeated the false and outlandish claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, kidnapped and ate their neighbors’ pets.
Mr. Trump made the remarks early in his first debate against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, shortly after Ms. Harris derided his rallies as full of fiction and fringe theories that attendees leave early. Mr. Trump responded by trying to get back to the topic under discussion, immigration.
“A lot of towns don’t want to talk about it because they’re too ashamed of it,” he said. “In Springfield, they’re eating dogs. People who came in, they are eating cats. They’re eating—they’re eating the pets of the people who live there.”
Mr. Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, have expanded the Internet rumor mill on the campaign trail this week. It stems from viral social media posts that spread as Mr. Vance and others tried to stoke fear about the surge. Haitian population in SpringfieldHowever, members of the community legally live and work in the United States.
Local officials found no evidence, credible reports, or specific claims of harm to pets by Haitian residents.
When David Muir, a debate moderator, noted the lack of evidence, Mr. Trump said he got his information “from people on television saying my dog was used and used for food.”
Mrs. Harris laughed. Mr. Trump’s “extreme” statements, she said, are one of the reasons she has the support of 200 Republicans.
Mr. Vance first made a claim about Haitian immigrants on Monday“It’s coming to your town next.” A news release from the Trump campaign later described the lies. Mr. Vance then appeared Return Tuesday morning In a social media post, said his office had “received several inquiries” about the false claims. But he added that “it is possible, of course, that all these rumors will prove false.”
That hasn’t stopped social media platforms from flooding memes and AI-generated images of cats in support of Mr Trump.
Job opportunities in Springfield, a city of about 58,000 people between Columbus and Dayton, have drawn thousands of Haitians since the outbreak began, with city officials estimating that as many as 20,000 have arrived. By some accounts, the immigrant community has helped revitalize the townHowever, it has put pressure on housing, schools and hospitals.
Post ‘They eat cats’: Trump repeats false claim about immigrants appeared first New York Times.