Donald Trump doubled down on boosting unfounded rumors that Haitian immigrants are abducting and eating people's cats and dogs, adding geese to the menagerie of critters he claims are in jeopardy of being devoured in the small Ohio town.
Speaking in Tucson, Arizona, Thursday night, two days after he amplified the false rumor in the presidential debate with Kamala Harris, the Republican presidential nominee told the crowd that waterfowl are also at risk.
"Haitian immigrants have descended upon Springfield, Ohio, and are destroying their way of life," the former president said.
"A recording of 911 calls shows residents reporting that the migrants are walking off with the town's geese. They're taking the geese. You know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake. And even walking off with their pets," he continued, saying "My dog's been taken! My dog's been stolen!"
Despite assurances from Springfield city officials and Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, that there are no credible reports that pets are being served for dinner, Trump and his GOP allies are continuing to advance the rumor.
In Arizona, the state Republican Party has erected nearly a dozen billboards that say, "EAT LESS KITTENS" and "Vote Republican!" that closely resemble the Chick-fil-A "Eat mor chikin" ads.
The falsehoods about pets had been swirling around on the Internet, but they were given a boost into the national spotlight when Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump's running mate, posted on X on the eve of the debate that "people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country."
Trump then amplified the bogus claims to the 67 million people who tuned in Tuesday night.
"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs — the people that came in — they're eating the cats," Trump said in response to a question about immigration. "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."
Told by moderator David Muir, the ABC News anchor, that city officials debunked the claim, Trump said he watched people on television saying, "my dog was taken and used for food."
Amid amplification of the false rumors about Haitian immigrants, a number of city, county and school buildings in Springfield were closed Thursday because of bomb threats.
They are expected to reopen on Friday, the Springfield News-Sun reported.
"I would like to stress that we are deeply committed to the safety of our entire community," Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott said at a Thursday news conference, the newspaper reported. "Safety is a shared responsibility and it takes all of us; I encourage the public, if you see something, say something."
