Trump's absurd claims on migrant pet‑eating quickly debunked

During the presidential debate, Donald Trump claimed that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were kidnapping and eating household pets. "People on TV were saying: my dog was taken and used as food," he absurdly accused. The debate moderator immediately countered him, pointing out that local authorities and the police have no such reports.

Trump argued that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating both domestic and wild animals.

"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. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame."

The ABC News moderator interrupted Trump, stating they had contacted the mayor of Springfield about it. Authorities said they had no records of such incidents, and the viral story about the "eaten cat" came from a completely different city.

Trump defended himself by saying that he got his information from a resident's statement on television. "People on television say, 'My dog was taken and used for food," he persisted.

As reported by the media, a post appeared on the X platform on September 6, claiming that someone had seen a cat hanging from a tree being eaten by Haitian migrants. A picture showing a Black man carrying a Canada goose was also posted.

Trump's vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance wrote on Monday that there are reports of "animals being taken and eaten by people who should not be in this country." In another post, he argued that his team was receiving many complaints about animals being eaten by Haitians.

City manager Bryan Heck released a statement denying that such incidents had occurred.

"In response to recent rumours alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community," he wrote.

Also, local police reported that they had not received any reports of stolen or eaten animals.

The media pointed out that there was, however, an incident related to eating animals recently. Last month in Canton, Ohio, a 27-year-old woman was arrested for torturing, killing, and then eating a cat. However, she was not a migrant from Haiti.