During Tuesday’s night debate, former President Donald Trump was subjected to a brutal fact-check after he peddled a grotesque and false claim that immigrants in Ohio are eating pets.
ABC News anchor David Muir cut through Trump’s baseless assertions with a sharp correction. “We checked with the city manager,” Muir stated, revealing that Springfield, Ohio, officials found absolutely “no evidence” to support Trump’s outrageous claim. In the heat of the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris could be seen laughing as Trump shouted, “They’re eating the dogs!”
Despite Muir’s factual refutation, Trump stubbornly clung to his narrative, saying, “I saw people on television talking about it,” and adding, “We’ll find out.” This claim, rooted in a ludicrous internet conspiracy, suggests that Haitian immigrants are abducting and consuming pets. However, the local police have firmly denied any such incidents.
Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance, has also propagated these unfounded rumors, though Vance himself later suggested that the stories might be false.
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The scandalous allegations have been echoed by some prominent right-wing commentators and pundits. Yet, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck was forced to address these fabrications directly. “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Heck clarified. He further debunked other false claims, noting, “No verified instances of immigrants squatting, littering, or deliberately disrupting traffic have been reported.”
Trump’s relentless spread of these falsehoods highlights his disturbing pattern of leveraging misinformation for political gain, a tactic that continues to undermine public trust and spread fear based on sheer fabrication.
Watch the clips below:
During the #PresidentialDebate, Former President Donald #Trump falsely claimed that immigrants are eating dogs, cats, and pets of Americans in #Springfield. pic.twitter.com/4nIBdM7VKz
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 11, 2024
Donald Trump gets fact-checked again during the presidential debate after accusing immigrants in Ohio of eating pets:
“The Springfield city manager says there's no evidence of that.” pic.twitter.com/wiLNLgFU6B
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 11, 2024
