No, you weren’t hearing things. There was, indeed, a very odd comment made during the Sept. 10 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris that has viewers across the countries feeling totally confused. Pretty much every point brought up during the debate required a slew of fact-checking, but when Trump claimed household pets were being eaten, it was a true record-scratch moment.Â
The comment came up when asked about immigration, a hot-button issue of the 2024 election, and in this debate in particular. Trump’s exact words when speaking about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs — the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — 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.”
The comment was, understandably, shocking. The statement is inflammatory, offensive, and harmful — and it has been proven untrue many times over. But where TF did this notion come from, and why TF did Trump say it during a presidential debate watched by millions?
Let’s back up a bit: This week, this racist and xenophobic rumor about an immigrant community in Springfield started going viral online, possibly sparked by a post made in a private Facebook group and stoked by conservatives like Elon Musk and Sen. Ted Cruz. Hours before the debate, Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance even tweeted about it: “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?” he wrote, referring to Harris.
“In Springfield they’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats.” pic.twitter.com/JqPiLgN9jt
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) September 11, 2024
As mentioned, this rumor — which is incredibly harmful to some of the most marginalized groups within the United States — has been consistently debunked. Multiple government officials from Ohio have spoken out to assure the country that the pets of Ohio are safe. “In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Karen Graves, the strategic engagement manager for Springfield, told CBS News.
Further, executive director for the Clark County Park District Leann Castillo also confirmed to CBS News that there’s “no evidence or reports” of people eating pets or wildlife in the parks of Clark County.
During the debate, moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis also pointed out that city officials have said there were no credible claims to support this statement, although Trump didn’t seem to acknowledge this. Instead, the debate swiftly moved onto other topics, where even more claims were called into question throughout the night.
There was a lot of confusion over the course of the debate, but one thing’s for sure: The fact-checkers were certainly booked and busy all night long.