Republican candidate Donald Trump insisted on false reports that migrants in the United States are eating the pets of residents in Ohio, during the first presidential debate against Kamala Harris.
“In Springfield, Ohio, they are eating the dogs, the people who come here, they are eating the cats, they are eating the pets of the people who live there,” said the former president.
Trump’s campaign and allies are amplifying false rumors that Haitian migrants in Ohio are kidnapping and eating pets, according to the AP. These rumors were picked up by the Republican during the debate and taken as true.
“There are no credible reports of dogs and cats being eaten in Springfield, according to the Mayor,” moderator David Muir quickly said, prompting a brief exchange with Trump.
Harris, meanwhile, criticized her rival for his role in rejecting a bill promoted by President Joe Biden that sought to strengthen border security and allegedly failed due to pressure from Trump.
Previously, the Republican tried to divert the topic of the economy with the immigration issue to attack the current administration and its handling of the migration crisis.
“We have inflation like never before. This has been a disaster for the middle class, but for all classes. On top of that, we have millions of people coming into this country from prisons, from nursing homes, from mental institutions, and they come and take jobs that are being filled by African-Americans and Hispanics,” Trump said.
