Social media was abuzz on Monday after Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance made a series of claims related to Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.
The accusations, which were labeled as "vile and false" by Haitian leaders, were quickly debunked by the city's police department. But not before conservative figures ranging from Trump advisor Stephen Miller and pundit Charlie Kirk to Senator Ted Cruz and billionaire Elon Musk spread the false rumor like wildfire across social media.
The controversy centers on a small town in Springfield, Ohio. A widely circulated Facebook post claimed that Haitian immigrants were caught trying to eat a neighbor's cat. The post also alleged that ducks and geese at a local park had faced similar fates. This story was further spread by a so-called breaking-news account on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a photo of a Black man carrying a goose.
The post quickly gained traction among right-wing commentators, including Trump adviser Stephen Miller:
I greatly look forward to @mcuban explaining why it's a good thing that the illegals Kamala flew here from Haiti are eating neighborhood pets. https://t.co/QQvQKQLkv4
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) September 9, 2024
Controversial right-wing personality Charlie Kirk quickly got in on the action, posting on his X account that "residents of Springfield, OH are reporting that Haitians are eating their family pets, another gift of the Biden-Harris mass immigration replacement plan", adding a six word rallying cry: "Save our pets. Secure our borders."
Residents of Springfield, OH are reporting that Haitians are eating their family pets, another gift of the Biden-Harris mass immigration replacement plan. Liberals will soon be lecturing Americans on why they need to be sensitive to Haitian culture and accept this as the new... pic.twitter.com/LTnlaL4N0v
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 8, 2024
High ranking officials like Texas senator Ted Cruz were also among those spreading the news, although he chose a much more cynical way of communicating it by sharing a meme with two cats and a caption that read "Please vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants won't eat us":
🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/96vvZhvuSv
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 9, 2024
Elon Musk Amplifies the Haitian Rumors to a Broader Audience
But few conservative personalities were as active on the subject on social media as X founder and Trump ally Elon Musk, who amplified the unverified claims to an even broader audience through everything from memes to an AI-generated image of the Republican presidential candidate holding ducks and cats inside a lake.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024
Ohio rn pic.twitter.com/DZ99Shcs5E
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024
Save them! 😢 pic.twitter.com/aLMPTJIPd9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024
Some good points here https://t.co/2zoPTjxlkC
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 10, 2024
"It was a matter of time before the story snowballed from various unverified reports, with people all over X and other platforms chucking their own little hunks of snow at it" as The Washington Post's Philip Bump explained. "In MAGA world, the alleged pet-eating is already a matter of fact." AI-generated images featuring Trump were especially going viral on Monday, as Trump supporters made a field day out of the news, pushing the anti-immigrant rhetoric in the process:
Save cats from Haitian migrants! Cats for Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/dXoxdNScQ2
— Catherine (@CatLibertymeow) September 9, 2024
Today's finds in a certain political corner of X: memes of Trump saving cats and ducks from Haitian migrants.
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) September 9, 2024
I normally find Trump memes annoying but these are well done 😂 pic.twitter.com/he5JX4Hylu
"I love you. I would never let the Haitians eat you." pic.twitter.com/47QguOUpAC
— Rare Trumps (@TrumpsRare) September 9, 2024
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
