Throughout his political and business careers, Donald Trump has been famous for his controversial and racially-fueled statements. From saying he benefited the Black community as much as Abraham Lincoln, asking white supremacist groups to “stand by,” and asking for a total shutdown of Muslims entering the USA, many of his statements have been heavily criticized for their racial insensitivity. However, quite possibly his most dangerous statement so far has been one viral quote: “They’re eating the pets.”

At the now infamous presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump brought up a false story that originated on Facebook to claim that there are immigrants overrunning US residents, specifically that Haitian immigrants were taking over in Springfield Ohio. 

“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They are eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said. Even though the statement was declared false almost immediately by fact-checkers, the statement still spread like wildfire across the internet. 

Unfortunately for the residents of Springfield, these statements were taken seriously by many of Trump’s supporters. Despite the initial reactions on the Internet mocking the former President for his claim, there has been a significant number of people who fully believe that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating the pets of residents who live there. 

Despite the fact that these rumors were false, Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have pushed the story farther in the media, posting AI-generated posts of Trump saving cats on Truth Social and Twitter, despite allegedly being told that the rumors were false. 

These posts, although seemingly inconsequential despite their racial insensitivities, have had very real impacts on the people of Springfield. Despite statements from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stating that no animals have been eaten in Springfield, over 30 bomb threats have been sent to the city. Several local stores and schools were shut down in the week following, due to safety concerns, and have only been reopened with additional security.

However, these stereotypes are directly a result of Trump’s statements. “I don’t even know what he was thinking. I think it’s just one of his anti-immigrant things, [because] he’s definitely very anti-immigrants,” says Haitian Charter student Samuel Dorrilas-Garcon. 

The statements about Haitians eating cats and dogs in the USA were based on one false report on Twitter, but the harmful and racist stereotype perpetuated afterwards didn’t exist until they were publicized and spread over and over by the former President.

As political tensions rise, it’s important to always ensure that media consumption is accurate – as the consequences of perpetuating false information can be dire, as seen with the citizens of Springfield.