Top US Republican politicians continue to repeat debunked rumours about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Ohio town.
Former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the US election, Republican Senator JD Vance, has defended amplifying false stories about migrants stealing and eating pets in the United States, saying in an interview that the political ends justify the means.
During several television appearances on Sunday, Vance was questioned about the unfounded claims he and Trump have made about Haitian migrants in the city of Springfield, Ohio, as part of a wider attack on the immigration policies of the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump had touted the false story during his first – and likely only debate – with Harris last week, with 67 million viewers tuning in. Local officials have repeatedly said they have received no evidence to support the rumours.
But Vance remained defiant on Sunday, saying in an interview with CBS News that he had received “verifiable and confirmable” accounts from residents of the Ohio community, without providing further evidence of the alleged incidents.
“Everybody who has dealt with a large influx of migration knows that sometimes there are cultural practices that seem very far out there to a lot of Americans,” he said. “Are we not allowed to talk about this in the United States of America?”
In another exchange on CNN, Vance was asked to “affirmatively say” that there is no evidence to support the stories about Haitian migrants eating pets.
Vance again replied he was only responding to constituents’ concerns.
“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do … because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast,” Vance replied, before backpedaling.
“I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it,” Vance said.
For his part, Trump on Saturday again referenced Springfield, Ohio, during a speech near Los Angeles, vowing to deport Haitian immigrants from the community if elected in the November 5 vote.
Trump and his Republican allies have also been sharing cat-themed memes to push the anti-immigrant narrative.
For years, political violence experts have warned that the Trump campaign’s bellicose rhetoric and flippant approach to misinformation stoke social tensions and raise the spectre of violence.
Just two days after the debate, hospitals, schools and government buildings in Springfield, Ohio were forced to close amid a series of bomb threats that referenced the influx of migrants in the community.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden called the attacks “simply wrong”.
“This has to stop, what [Trump’s] doing. It has to stop,” Biden said.
Critics have also pointed to the Trump campaign’s approach as further evidence of US election seasons becoming increasingly dominated by ephemeral cultural spectacle meant to stoke partisan outrage, while sidelining meaningful policy discussion.
In the latest example, Trump on Sunday responded to pop star Taylor Swift’s recent endorsement of Harris. The nod is considered a major political boon for the Democratic candidate, with Swift boasting hundreds of millions of ardent fans across the world.
In a brief, all-caps post on his Truth Social account, Trump wrote: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.”
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