The election debate took an unexpected turn when the former president alleged that immigrants were consuming cats. However, what triggered this statement?
Local rumors used to spread only as far as the nearest neighborhood, and even then, most people would treat them skeptically, with stories from a "friend of a friend" quickly fading away. But in 2024, a baseless rumor shared on social media can go viral in moments, reaching millions and even influencing major political decisions in one of the world's most powerful nations.
One of the standout moments from Tuesday’s televised debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris was Trump’s wild claim that asylum seekers are abducting and eating pets. Immigration has been a hot topic throughout the presidential campaign, and Trump made this shocking claim as part of his argument for why his leadership is needed to save a "failing nation."
“In Springfield, 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,” Trump said during the debate.
At first glance, this claim seems outrageous, and the debate moderator, ABC News' David Muir, was quick to point out that there was no credible evidence to support it. However, this was not a new allegation for those who closely follow U.S. politics. The rumor had already been circulating, fueled by prominent right-wing figures such as vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance, Senator Ted Cruz, and Elon Musk, who claimed they had “proof” of such actions.
Given the attention the claim had received, one might assume it originated from a reputable source, but it didn’t. Instead, it traces back to a single Facebook post from a resident of Springfield, Ohio.
The post, shared in a private community group, warned locals about a supposed danger to their pets, accusing Haitian immigrants of butchering a missing cat as if it were a deer. The post escalated the claim, saying that the immigrants were also eating dogs, ducks, and geese. It quickly went viral.
It’s easy to see why. Springfield, a city of 58,000, has been at the center of immigration tensions after nearly 20,000 Haitian migrants legally moved there over the past four years. Fleeing violence and political turmoil in Haiti, these migrants took jobs that local residents were reluctant to accept. However, their presence has strained local services, and tensions hit a breaking point last August when a school bus crash caused by a Haitian driver without a valid license killed an 11-year-old and injured 20 others. The event deepened the divide between longtime residents and the Haitian newcomers.
Despite local authorities quickly debunking the pet-eating claims and police confirming no official reports of such incidents, the damage was done. Social media users, especially on the right, latched onto the story, with some trying to bolster it with additional "evidence"—all of which was swiftly disproven. A bodycam video showing a woman arrested for killing and eating a cat was widely shared, but the woman wasn’t Haitian or an immigrant. Another viral image showed a Black man carrying a dead goose in Springfield, but the photo was actually taken in Columbus, Ohio, and the photographer regretted uploading it as it was being used to target immigrants.
This week, the claims gained even more traction as public figures on the right amplified them. Senator J.D. Vance insisted that he had raised concerns about Haitian immigrants causing chaos in Springfield for months, doubling down on his stance after the debate. Elon Musk, meanwhile, posted to his nearly 200 million followers: “Apparently, people’s pet cats are being eaten.” Senator Ted Cruz added fuel to the fire with a meme of kittens urging people to vote for Trump to stop Haitians from eating them.
The Republican House Committee on the Judiciary even tweeted an AI-generated image of Trump hugging ducks and kittens in a pond, adding, “Protect our ducks and kittens in Ohio!” The post reached millions, sparking a response from Downing Street’s Larry the Cat, who cheekily wrote, “We’re fine – try protecting school kids.”
These kinds of rumors have a long history. Fear of outsiders eating animals they shouldn’t has been used to stoke prejudice across different communities and countries. Asian Americans have long faced the stereotype that cats and dogs are part of their diet, while Haitian immigrants, often associated with voodoo spiritualism in popular culture, have become easy targets for conspiracy theories.
Trump, too, has leaned into this fearmongering, referencing Hannibal Lecter from *The Silence of the Lambs* in his speeches, as if to suggest that Americans themselves could be next on the menu.
This pattern of baseless rumors is not new, nor is it confined to the U.S. In Britain, similar fears have been spread about immigrants, with false claims that Eastern European asylum seekers were barbecuing swans and eating donkeys. Despite police debunking these stories, they were widely reported in tabloids and became ingrained in public consciousness.
Today, the real threat comes from social media. While the U.K. has introduced regulations to combat the spread of misinformation through the Online Safety Act, no such measures exist in the U.S. With tech companies facing pressure from President Biden’s policies, some are beginning to align more closely with Trump.
Despite the clear lack of evidence, Trump refused to back down during the debate, telling moderator Muir, “We’ll find out.” Whether his claims are ever proven or remain as nothing more than local gossip remains to be seen.
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