Leading Republican politicians in the United States continue to repeat debunked rumors about Haitian immigrants eating their pets in an Ohio town.
Former President Donald Trump's running mate in the US election, Republican Senator JD Vance, has defended the amplification of false stories about immigrants stealing and eating pets in the United States, saying in an interview that political ends justify the means.
During several television appearances Sunday, Vance was questioned about unsubstantiated claims he and Trump have made about Haitian migrants in the city of Springfield, Ohio, as part of a broader attack on the immigration policies of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump had pushed 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 not received any evidence to support the rumors.
But Vance remained defiant 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.
“Anyone who has had to deal with a large influx of immigrants knows that sometimes there are cultural practices that seem very strange to many 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 “say affirmatively” that there is no evidence to support stories about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
Vance again said he was merely responding to constituents' concerns.
“If I have to create stories to get the American media to actually pay attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do… because you're letting Kamala Harris run completely wild,” Vance responded, before backtracking.
“I say we are creating a story, meaning we are creating a focus for the American media,” Vance said.
Trump, meanwhile, again referred to Springfield, Ohio, during a speech near Los Angeles on Saturday, vowing to deport Haitian immigrants from the community if he is elected in the Nov. 5 vote.
Trump and his Republican allies have also been sharing cat-themed memes to push the anti-immigrant narrative.
Trump posts 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT'
For years, political violence experts have warned that the Trump campaign's bellicose rhetoric and flippant approach to disinformation stoke social tensions and raise the specter 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 referencing the influx of immigrants into the community.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden called the attacks “simply wrong.”
“This has to stop, what?” [Trump’s] “This has to stop,” Biden said.
Critics have also pointed to the Trump campaign's approach as further evidence that US election seasons are increasingly dominated by ephemeral cultural spectacle meant to stoke partisan outrage while sidelining meaningful political debate.
In the latest example, Trump on Sunday responded to pop star Taylor Swift's recent endorsement of Harris. The gesture is seen as a major political boost for the Democratic candidate, as Swift has hundreds of millions of ardent followers around the world.
In a brief, all-caps post on his Truth Social account, Trump wrote: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.”
