In the period A few days ago, the smear campaign against immigrants of color moved from the swamps of the online right to the national presidential debate. On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump accused Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, of killing and eating the community’s pets during his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.
The attack came after Harris mocked Trump for his rallies, encouraging Americans to listen to him talk about Hannibal Lecter and windmill conspiracy theories to his followers who were leaving early out of boredom. Trump could only defend himself, baselessly accusing Harris of paying people to attend her rallies. Then he turned feverishly to the issue of immigration—to say the least.
“In Springfield, they eat the dogs — the people who come in — they eat the cats,” Trump said. “They eat the pets of the people who live there, and that’s what’s happening in our county.”
ABC News anchor David Muir was quick to fact-check Trump's comments in real time. “ABC News has reached out to the city manager [in Springfield.] “We were told that there were no credible reports of specific allegations of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Moyer said.
Trump responded by saying he had “seen people on TV.”
“People on TV are saying my dog was taken and used as food,” he added. It was unclear what reports the former president was referring to.
Since the pandemic struck, as many as 20,000 Haitians have legally immigrated to Springfield to work in factories and warehouses. For days, Republicans — including Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance — have been pushing a racist lie that Haitian immigrants are eating cats, ducks and other pets in Springfield.
Springfield police said they have not received any reports of such incidents, and city engagement manager Karen Graves said: “There have been no credible reports or specific allegations of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
According to two sources close to Trump, the former president advised in recent days that if he brought up the issue during the Philadelphia debate, he should turn to the story of an 11-year-old boy, Aidan Clark, who was killed in a highly publicized car accident in which the driver was a Haitian immigrant.
This affects parents who watch. [the debate] “The stuff in the gut is much tougher than cat stuff,” one source said earlier Tuesday.
However, during that part of the presidential debate, Trump stuck to what he knows: misinformation spread online and viral content.
Nathan Clark, Eden's father, made clear that he disagrees with the political exploitation of his son's death. “It is reprehensible to use Eden as a political tool for any political purpose,” Clark said during a speech to the Springfield City Commission on Tuesday.
“This has to stop now,” Clark added. “I will listen to them again to hear their apologies.”
