A divided city and a rumour: The story behind Donald Trump's false claim Haitians in Springfield were 'eating the dogs, cats'
The small US city of Springfield, Ohio, has become the centre of national debate after baseless pet-eating rumours were created following the influx of Haitian immigrants.
During his first, and most likely last, televised debate with Democrat nominee Kamala Harris last week, former president Donald Trump falsely claimed that, in Springfield, "they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats".
Harris had burst into laughter, shaking her head at the Republican pick.
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Kamala Harris burst into laughter when her Republican rival made the comment. ABC
Despite being fact-checked by the debate moderator, both he and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, have since doubled down on the misinformation.
Trump even went as far as to pledge to "large deportations" in Springfield if elected.
The remarks propelled by the party have stoked fear and anti-immigrant rhetoric which has incited false bomb threats that saw local schools evacuated.
But how exactly did the pet-eating rumour start?
It began when thousands of Haitians immigrated to Springfield around the pandemic, which local media reported put a strain on the city's limited resources like its housing and health clinics.
Authorities are unable to calculate just how many arrived over the years but estimates put the figure at about 15,000 to 20,000.
In August 2023, on the first day of the school year, tensions between Haitians and the locals erupted, The New York Times reported.
An 11-year-old boy was killed and 20 children were injured when a minivan crashed into a school bus travelling in the opposite lane on State Route 41.
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Republican vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance. AP
The driver of the minivan was a Haitian immigrant, who was charged with manslaughter.
A city commission hearing was held, where locals voiced their growing concerns about the Haitian community.
One man stood up to air his grievance and claimed Haitians were cutting the necks off ducks and eating them.
His baseless claim spread like wildfire on social media.
Police body-cam footage showing the arrest of a woman who allegedly ate a cat also gained millions of views — which was later debunked by several news outlets reporting the woman was an American living in a different state.
One woman also posted a rumour that her neighbour's daughter's friend had lost her cat and found it hanging at the home of a Haitian immigrant on the local Facebook group.
This was eventually picked up by conservative media, Vance and then Trump himself.
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Former US President Donald Trump at The National Constitution Centre. Win McNamee/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
X owner Elon Musk has also posted several times about the pet-eating claims.
Local officials, like Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and Republican Governor Mike DeWine, have refuted the claims and said there was no evidence to justify them.
"Unfortunately right now, we have to focus on making sure this rhetoric is dispelled, that these rumors are just, they're just not true. Springfield is a beautiful place, and your pets are safe in Springfield," Rue told CNN.
The Springfield woman who posted the rumour on Facebook, Erika Lee, has since told NBC News she had no firsthand knowledge of any such incident and is now filled with regret.
"I'm not a racist. Everybody seems to be turning it into that and that was not my intent," Lee told the publication.
Vance has even admitted that it was possible the rumours "will turn out to be false".
"In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who've said their neighbors' pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants," Vance posted on X.
"It's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false."
Trump and Vance have both continued to fuel the false claim, which they have used to target President Joe Biden and Harris' immigration policies.
Vance on Sunday told CNN he was repeating the claims because they were "firsthand accounts from my constituents".
Meanwhile, Trump has reposted several related memes on his social media platform Truth Social — one of those being an AI-generated image of cats holding a sign that reads: "Don't let them eat us, vote for Trump."
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Trump has fuelled the false claim and reposted memes on his social media platform Truth Social. Truth Social
— With Associated Press, CNN
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