GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance has continued to push debunked, false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are stealing and eating their neighbors’ pets.
In response to a question by NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor following the debate on Tuesday night, the Ohio senator said the small migrant community was responsible for several problems the blue-collar Clark County city is facing, including the disappearance of animals, even though police and city officials say there’s no evidence to back that up.
Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck told ABC News there are “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Heck’s statement, though, was not enough to stop Vance from doubling down on his claims.
“The city manager said there’s no verifiable evidence. A lot of residents on the ground have said that there is,” Vance told Alcindor. “That just means the city manager I think isn’t fully in touch with what’s going on in the ground there. I’ve heard from many of my own constituents who have seen these things with their own eyes, who’ve seen these abductions with their own eyes, who’ve seen geese being taken out of local parks and slaughtered in front of their eyes.”
Earlier on Tuesday, a White House national security spokesperson blasted Vance’s comments, adding that “this kind of disinformation is dangerous because there will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is.”
This didn’t stop former President Donald Trump from embracing the racist lie, bringing it up during the debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, and also amplifying it on this Truth Social account.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
ABC’s David Muir, one of the moderators of the debate, repeatedly fact-checked Trump’s claims, citing Heck’s statement.
“The people on television say my dog was taken and used for food. So maybe he said that and maybe that’s a good thing to say for a city manager,” Trump replied.
