Donald Trump has alleged that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pet dogs and cats.
During a televised debate with Kamala Harris, he said, “They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. 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.”
Kamala Harris, visibly shaking her head and laughing in disbelief, listened as Trump continued, “People are saying their dog was eaten by people.”
David Muir, one of the debate moderators, intervened, stating that the town manager of Springfield had found no credible reports of animals being eaten.
Memes have been circulating on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that immigrants are eating pets. One AI-generated meme, shared by the Trump campaign shortly before the debate, shows Trump holding cats and geese in his arms.
Another meme shared on social media by the account “End Wokeness” included a photo of a Black man carrying two geese, accompanied by a claim that immigrants were eating pets.
Trump-Harris Debate (Photo: Getty Images)
The geese image, reportedly taken in Columbus, Ohio, lacks any evidence that the man is Haitian. The person who originally posted the image expressed outrage that right-wing figures, including Ohio’s Republican senator, were using it to push their agenda.
Meanwhile, another widely shared video shows a woman being arrested and accused of eating a cat. However, the woman in the video was born in the U.S. and was arrested in Canton, 172 miles away from Springfield.
Authorities in Springfield also addressed the rumors, releasing a statement saying, “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Despite this, Trump’s campaign stood by the claim, citing a report, a conservative publication. The report referenced a call made to a police dispatcher, where someone claimed to have seen four Haitian migrants, each carrying a goose.
JD Vance, Trump’s running mate and a senator from Ohio, called for an investigation into the alleged seizure of geese from a pond in Springfield.
Vance urged reporters to investigate the situation, stating, “Whether those rumors turn out to be mostly true, somewhat true, whatever the case may be, this town has been ravaged by 20,000 migrants coming in.”
