WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday blasted former President Donald Trump for claiming that Haitian immigrants were eating dogs, cats and waterfowl in Ohio, noting that his chief press secretary's family is from the impoverished Caribbean country.
Biden, 81, spoke at a “Black Excellence” brunch on the White House lawn, where in his opening remarks, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called him a “proud Haitian American” — an apparent reference to President Trump's recent controversies.
“[There are] “Many Americans welcome people like Karine because, as she pointed out, she is a proud Haitian-American, a community that is under attack in our country right now,” Biden said at the start of his remarks.
“This is just wrong. There is no place in America for him to stop what he's doing. It has to stop.”
Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique, French territory, to Haitian parents and grew up in New York City.
Trump, 78, initially made the allegation during Tuesday night's presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitian migrants who had just arrived in Springfield, Ohio, were eating their pets.
“In Springfield, dogs are being eaten. People who come in there are eating cats. They're eating the pets of the people who live there,” the Republican presidential candidate said.
Pressed by debate moderator David Muir about the denials from local authorities, Mr Trump claimed: “The people on TV are saying that people who went there ate their dogs.”
Republicans point to photos and reports of wild ducks and geese being taken by migrants, as well as the arrest last month of an American woman in Canton, Ohio, for eating a cat.
Following Trump's claims, a large number of memes were posted depicting dogs and cats supporting Trump and opposing Democratic candidate Harris (59). Harris was appointed in early 2021 to be in charge of reducing illegal immigration, but illegal immigration has instead reached a record high.
Though Biden rebuked Trump on Friday, he was noticeably more light-hearted on Wednesday at an event closed to reporters. After casually donning a Trump hat in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Biden joked, “Remember, you don't eat dogs and cats!”
