Peter White
2024-09-16 21:22:11 UTC
Thomas Crooks was a registered Republican just like all of Trump's
followers.
Trump pushes baseless claim about immigrants 'eating the pets'
The former president was referring to rumors that have spread on social
media for days claiming that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and
eating pets.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-pushes-baseless-
claim-immigrants-eating-pets-rcna170537
Former President Donald Trump, during Tuesdays presidential debate,
repeated a baseless and sensationalist claim about Haitian immigrants in
Ohio eating dogs and other pets.
"They're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the
cats," Trump said during an answer to a question about immigration.
"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."
Trump's answer was among the most extraordinary of the first 30 minutes
of the debate: a former U.S. president spreading an internet rumor one
labeled by some of his critics as racist in front of an audience of
millions of Americans. The comment illustrated the rapid spread of
misinformation in today's media ecosystem.
David Muir, the ABC News anchor co-moderating the debate, immediately
fact-checked Trump's claims, saying that the city manager in Springfield,
Ohio, told the network there had been no credible reports of pets being
harmed, injured or abused by people in the city's immigrant community.
Ohio community becomes flashpoint in immigration debate
01:50
Baseless rumors have spread on social media for days claiming that
Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets. Most of the
rumors involve Springfield, which has a large number of Haitian
immigrants, but police there released a statement Monday knocking down
the stories and saying they hadnt seen any documented examples.
There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being
harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,
the police said in a statement.
Republicans including Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice
presidential nominee, have pointed to the claims as evidence that
immigrants are causing chaos. Vance, though, hedged in a statement on X
earlier Tuesday, saying, Its possible, of course, that all of these
rumors will turn out to be false.
The claims about pets were based in part on vague social media posts,
including one fourth-hand story posted in a Facebook group devoted to
local crime, as well as statements at public meetings, where residents
spoke about violence against animals without providing evidence.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue repeated Tuesday that the city had no
documented cases of immigrants eating pets.
Rumors like these are taking away from the real issues such as housing
concerns, resources needed for our schools and our overwhelmed health
care system, he said at a meeting of the city commission.
Rue said that one alleged case of someone attacking a cat falsely
attributed to a Haitian immigrant in Springfield actually occurred 160
miles away in Canton, Ohio. And the defendant there charged with animal
cruelty has no known connection to Haiti, according to The Canton
Repository newspaper.
The topic of immigration took center stage at Tuesdays city commission
meeting in Springfield. At the meeting, resident Nathan Clark, whose 11-
year-old son was killed last year when a minivan driven by a Haitian
immigrant struck his school bus, denounced Republican politicians who he
said were using his deceased son Aiden as a political tool to fuel
anti-immigrant hatred.
Immigration is a potent subject in the presidential face. In an NBC News
poll in April, 22% of voters put immigration and the border as the most
important issue facing the country, second only to inflation and the cost
of living at 23%.
John Kirby, the White Houses national security spokesperson, denounced
the claims about Haitians in Ohio as a dangerous conspiracy theory that
could inspire anti-immigrant violence.
There will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid
it is, and they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a
way where somebody could get hurt, Kirby told reporters Tuesday.
Trump's comments about pets was one of a variety of claims and
allegations that drew from rumors and conspiracy theories.
In an exchange about immigration, Trump referenced false rumors about a
Venezuelan gang taking over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado
claims that have been debunked by local officials while spreading widely
on right-wing media channels.
Then, in a series of statements before the second commercial break, Trump
alluded to conspiracy theories about the influence of foreign money on
the Biden administration.
You know, Biden doesnt go after people because, supposedly, China paid
millions of dollars, he said. Hes afraid to do it between him and
his son, they get all this money from Ukraine. They get all this money
from all of these different countries. And then you wonder why is he so
loyal to this one, that one, Ukraine, China? Why did he get $3.5 million
from the mayor of Moscows wife? Why did she pay him $3.5 million? This
is a crooked administration, and theyre selling our country down the
tubes.
But none of those claims appear to be grounded in fact. The most concrete
point appears to be a debunked claim that Hunter Biden received $3.5
million from the wife of the former mayor of Moscow. The claim was
included in a Republican report but without any evidence.
followers.
Trump pushes baseless claim about immigrants 'eating the pets'
The former president was referring to rumors that have spread on social
media for days claiming that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and
eating pets.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-pushes-baseless-
claim-immigrants-eating-pets-rcna170537
Former President Donald Trump, during Tuesdays presidential debate,
repeated a baseless and sensationalist claim about Haitian immigrants in
Ohio eating dogs and other pets.
"They're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the
cats," Trump said during an answer to a question about immigration.
"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."
Trump's answer was among the most extraordinary of the first 30 minutes
of the debate: a former U.S. president spreading an internet rumor one
labeled by some of his critics as racist in front of an audience of
millions of Americans. The comment illustrated the rapid spread of
misinformation in today's media ecosystem.
David Muir, the ABC News anchor co-moderating the debate, immediately
fact-checked Trump's claims, saying that the city manager in Springfield,
Ohio, told the network there had been no credible reports of pets being
harmed, injured or abused by people in the city's immigrant community.
Ohio community becomes flashpoint in immigration debate
01:50
Baseless rumors have spread on social media for days claiming that
Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets. Most of the
rumors involve Springfield, which has a large number of Haitian
immigrants, but police there released a statement Monday knocking down
the stories and saying they hadnt seen any documented examples.
There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being
harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,
the police said in a statement.
Republicans including Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice
presidential nominee, have pointed to the claims as evidence that
immigrants are causing chaos. Vance, though, hedged in a statement on X
earlier Tuesday, saying, Its possible, of course, that all of these
rumors will turn out to be false.
The claims about pets were based in part on vague social media posts,
including one fourth-hand story posted in a Facebook group devoted to
local crime, as well as statements at public meetings, where residents
spoke about violence against animals without providing evidence.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue repeated Tuesday that the city had no
documented cases of immigrants eating pets.
Rumors like these are taking away from the real issues such as housing
concerns, resources needed for our schools and our overwhelmed health
care system, he said at a meeting of the city commission.
Rue said that one alleged case of someone attacking a cat falsely
attributed to a Haitian immigrant in Springfield actually occurred 160
miles away in Canton, Ohio. And the defendant there charged with animal
cruelty has no known connection to Haiti, according to The Canton
Repository newspaper.
The topic of immigration took center stage at Tuesdays city commission
meeting in Springfield. At the meeting, resident Nathan Clark, whose 11-
year-old son was killed last year when a minivan driven by a Haitian
immigrant struck his school bus, denounced Republican politicians who he
said were using his deceased son Aiden as a political tool to fuel
anti-immigrant hatred.
Immigration is a potent subject in the presidential face. In an NBC News
poll in April, 22% of voters put immigration and the border as the most
important issue facing the country, second only to inflation and the cost
of living at 23%.
John Kirby, the White Houses national security spokesperson, denounced
the claims about Haitians in Ohio as a dangerous conspiracy theory that
could inspire anti-immigrant violence.
There will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid
it is, and they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a
way where somebody could get hurt, Kirby told reporters Tuesday.
Trump's comments about pets was one of a variety of claims and
allegations that drew from rumors and conspiracy theories.
In an exchange about immigration, Trump referenced false rumors about a
Venezuelan gang taking over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado
claims that have been debunked by local officials while spreading widely
on right-wing media channels.
Then, in a series of statements before the second commercial break, Trump
alluded to conspiracy theories about the influence of foreign money on
the Biden administration.
You know, Biden doesnt go after people because, supposedly, China paid
millions of dollars, he said. Hes afraid to do it between him and
his son, they get all this money from Ukraine. They get all this money
from all of these different countries. And then you wonder why is he so
loyal to this one, that one, Ukraine, China? Why did he get $3.5 million
from the mayor of Moscows wife? Why did she pay him $3.5 million? This
is a crooked administration, and theyre selling our country down the
tubes.
But none of those claims appear to be grounded in fact. The most concrete
point appears to be a debunked claim that Hunter Biden received $3.5
million from the wife of the former mayor of Moscow. The claim was
included in a Republican report but without any evidence.