Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance was pressed on the former president’s dubious claims that immigrants in an Ohio town are cooking pets and wild geese.
“Immigrants are eating cats,” Trump said during the first presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. “They’re eating dogs.”
The questionable claims stem from a story out of Ohio, where “reports are now showing that people’s pets have been kidnapped and eaten by people who should not be in this country,” Vance wrote on X this week.
The vice presidential candidate later retracted his claims in a subsequent post, saying, “It is possible, of course, that all of these rumors turn out to be false.”
But that didn’t stop Trump from talking about it on stage during his debate with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks to members of the media following the presidential debate between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at the debate press briefing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“Trump just amplified it to tens of millions of people,” CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins insisted to Vance in an interview after the debate. “Why promote something that’s not true?”
Vance said the campaign has been contacted by some people “on the ground” who have provided testimony confirming the migrants’ suspicious diets.
He confirmed that they have received “both first-hand and second-hand reports that say these things are happening.”
He then threw an apparent punch at Collins.
“I think it’s really important for journalists to get out on the ground and cover this for themselves,” the Republican said.
“When you have a lot of people saying, ‘My pets are being kidnapped,’ or ‘The geese in the city pond are being kidnapped and killed right in front of us,’ it’s crazy,” Vance continued.
Vance explained why Trump talked about the story of migrants eating pets and geese on CNN
—Whether those exact rumors turn out to be mostly true, somewhat true, whatever the case, Kaitlan, this city has been devastated.
Collins responded: “Senator, if someone calls your office and says they saw Big Foot, that doesn’t actually mean they saw Big Foot.”
When sought for further evidence that Ohio residents hunted geese or pets and then cooked them, Vance did not provide further details.
But he credited the story, which has spawned many online artificial intelligence images of Trump posing as a guardian or protector of furry and feathered animals, with raising awareness about immigration issues.
“The media didn’t care about the carnage that these (immigration) policies caused until we turned it into a cat meme,” Vance said.
AI-generated Trump hugs a duck and a cat
It all started after an Ohio man made wild and unsubstantiated claims that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating pets and wild birds.
The viral posts began after a Springfield, Ohio resident claimed to have seen Haitian migrants decapitate ducks in public parks and eat them.
The Ohio man stood up to address the issue during a city commission meeting last month to address the influx of legal Haitian immigrants.
“I really challenge you to come out here and do something,” he said at the meeting.
‘These Haitians are crashing into garbage cans, crashing into buildings… they are overturning cars in the middle of the streets…’
Reports of migrants eating animals such as ducks remain unconfirmed.
“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio,” Vance posted on X on Monday alongside a video of him previously speaking about the crisis facing the city.
“There are reports that show that some people have had their pets kidnapped and eaten by people who should not be in this country,” he added, mentioning the gruesome accounts.
“Where is our border tsar?” the message continued.
In the accompanying video, Vance reads a document outlining how the city is handling the Haitian migrant population.
“Springfield has seen a population increase due to immigration that has significantly impacted our ability as a community to produce sufficient housing opportunities for all,” the Republican read at a Senate hearing.
‘Springfield’s Haitian community has grown from 15,000 to 20,000 in the past four years from a community of fewer than 60,000 previous residents.’
However, he later rectified those comments.
On Tuesday morning, Vance posted on X: “Over the past few weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual Springfield residents who have said that their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife have been kidnapped by Haitian immigrants. It is possible, of course, that all of these rumors turn out to be false.”
Another AI-generated image shows Trump holding a cat and a duck at a campaign rally.
Another AI image shows the former president wielding a sword and armor behind his animal friends.
Another image shows Trump rescuing a chubby cat from a fire.
But that didn’t stop users from enjoying this silly trend.
“Cat lives matter. Duck lives matter. Vote for Trump to save them,” one user posted on X alongside an image of Trump holding a duck and a cat while wrapped in a red cape.
‘Today’s findings from a certain political corner of X: memes of Trump saving cats and ducks from Haitian immigrants,’ conservative commentator Marina Medvin posted on X.
“I usually find Trump memes annoying, but these are well done,” she continued her post.
Another user of the platform posted an AI-generated image of Trump in armor and carrying a sword: “Don’t worry America. Donald Trump is coming to end Kamala’s border policies and defend your cats and ducks.”
But not all AI-generated creations went as planned.
One image didn’t go as planned, showing duck-like animals with cat-like heads.
One user even generated a cat wearing a MAGA hat.
“I asked an AI to take a picture of Trump saving kittens and ducks and this is what I got,” one user posted alongside an image showing duck-like animals with cat heads.
“We can safely say that we still have some time before AI takes over,” they added.