Former President Trump has promised to visit Springfield, Ohio, after he and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in the city.
Trump said at a rally in New York on Wednesday that he would visit the city in the next two weeks and also go to Aurora, Colorado, where discussions about gang activity by Venezuelan immigrants have been exaggerated but remain part of the national debate on immigration.
“I'm going to be there in the next two weeks. I'm going to Springfield, I'm going to Aurora,” Trump said. “You may never see me again, but that's OK. You've got to do what you've got to do. What happened to Trump? Well, he couldn't get out of Springfield.”
The Republican presidential candidate's comments came amid widespread attention following posts in Springfield by conservative national figures like Charlie Kirk and Elon Musk that surfaced false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
Vance later posted about the allegations, saying his office has received “numerous inquiries” from Springfield residents about immigrants kidnapping neighbors' pets and local wildlife.
The Springfield Police Department says they have not received any reports of pets being stolen or eaten.
Trump repeated the false claim during the presidential debate with Vice President Harris last week.
Springfield Mayor Brian Heck said the false allegations distract from the real problems facing the city: growing immigration is putting a strain on city resources like housing and health care.
NBC News previously Reported It was reported that President Trump plans to visit Springfield “soon.” Springfield Mayor Rob Lu responded to the report by saying he would be fine if President Trump did not visit, as a visit would “put a tremendous strain on our resources.”
As the allegations gained attention, more than 30 “unfounded bomb threats” were made at schools, the state Department of Motor Vehicles and city hall in the city.
Aurora has also been in the spotlight for its immigration problems, and conspiracy theories have circulated that Venezuelan gangs are occupying apartment buildings. Some members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua have operating Several arrests were made in Aurora, but city police denied that an apartment had been taken over.
