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Donald Trump has revealed he will be visiting Springfield, Ohio in the next two weeks after spreading a baseless rumor that Haitian residents are eating pets.
The former president made the announcement at a rally in Uniondale, New York on Wednesday night.
Earlier that day, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, a Republican, revealed he would be “fine” if Trump skipped a visit as “it would be an extreme strain on our resources.” Mayor Rue, City Manager Bryan Heck and Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine have all repeatedly debunked the claim.
Springfield residents’ lives continue to be disrupted as Trump and his running mate JD Vance have doubled down on the baseless conspiracy theory. Haitian residents have said they’re afraid for their safety, and at least 33 bomb threats have been made in Springfield since the rumors hit the national stage, DeWine said this week. Some threats included hateful language targeting the Haitian community, local officials said.
At his rally on Wednesday, Trump said: “I’m going to go there in the next two weeks, I’m going to Springfield and I’m going to Aurora. You may never see me again, but that’s OK. I gotta do what I gotta do.”
The former president was also referring to Aurora, Colorado, a city he has falsely claimed was being taken over by Venezuelans.
“You look at Aurora in Colorado,” Trump said during his September 10 presidential debate against Kamala Harris. “They are taking over the towns. They’re taking over buildings. They’re going in violently.”
Last month, rumors began flying on social media that a Venezuelan criminal gang had taken over The Edge at Lowry Apartments in the city after surveillance video emerged showing armed men roaming the halls and entering a unit.
Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris addressed the rumors, clarifying that the complex was not “taken over” by Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization.
“We’ve been talking to the residents here and learning from them to find out what exactly is going on, and there’s definitely a different picture,” Morris said on August 30.
Last week, officers arrested 10 people connected to Tren de Aragua, according to the Aurora Police Department. The group was arrested on various charges related to alleged assaults, shootings and hit-and-runs.
Tren de Aragua has not “taken over” the city, despite recent “overstated claims,” according to Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Council Member and Public Safety Chair Danielle Jurinsky.
“[Tren de Aragua’s] presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, all of which the city has been addressing in various ways for months,” the officials said in a joint statement, according to USA Today.
Venezuelan residents of Aurora are afraid for their safety following the rumors. Moises Didenot, a Venezuelan migrant and resident of The Edge at Lowry Aparemnts, told local outlet Westword he’s afraid for his life.
“I go to work at five in the morning, and I’m already afraid for my life that someone is going to do something — because I’m Venezuelan, they’re going to do something,” Didenot said. “We’ve all already been threatened with a flier saying we’re all criminals. I’m afraid someone is going to do something out of hate.”
