Following the presidential debate on Tuesday night, social media has been swarmed with highlight reels, fact check links and memes. Despite no mention of Springfield, Missouri during the debate, local officials have dealt with a fair share of public outcry.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris took to the stage for their first presidential debate Tuesday night. The 90-minute debate hosted by ABC News covered an array of topics, including the economy, abortion laws, climate change, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and immigration. The debate was moderated by ABC Managing Editor David Muir and ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis.
Several times throughout the debate, Trump used Springfield, Ohio as an example of a city where people who came to the country illegally are congregating. At one point, in response to a question posed about border control, Trump claimed that immigrants were eating dogs and cats belonging to residents in Springfield, Ohio.
“A lot of towns don’t want to talk about it because they’re so embarrassed by it,” Trump said during the debate, according to a transcript posted by ABC News. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — 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.”
In response, moderator Muir provided a moment of clarification.
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“ABC News did reach out to the city manager there (Springfield, Ohio). He told us there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Muir said before he was cut off by Trump, who went on to say that he heard of immigrants eating pets “on television.”
“The people on television say my dog was taken and used for food,” Trump rebutted. “So maybe he said that and maybe that’s a good thing to say for a city manager.”
Before opening the discussion for Harris to respond, Muir commented: “I’m not taking this from television. I’m taking it from the city manager.”
Where does this claim stem from?
Earlier this summer, a social media post in the private Facebook Group “Springfield, Ohio Crime Monitor” went viral. The poster stated that a neighbor’s daughter’s friend had lost her cat. The poster went on to make an unsubstantiated claim that Haitian immigrants had allegedly taken the cat to eat, according to ABC News reporting.
The social media post was amplified by Trump’s running mate Sen. J.D. Vance on Monday. Vance posted a video to X of him speaking about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. The final line in the caption for the post states: “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”
These claims are unsubstantiated, as Muir pointed out during the debate.
“Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” Springfield, Ohio City Manager Bryan Heck told ABC News. “Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”
The Springfield Police Department in Springfield, Ohio has also not received any reports of pets being stolen or eaten, according to Springfield News-Sun reporting.
Springfield entities wrongfully tagged in social media posts
A search of “SGFpolice” on X — the Springfield Police Department’s handle on the platform formerly known as Twitter — resulted in at least 20 posts tagging the police department in response to Trump’s debate comments, as of Wednesday morning.
Springfield Police Department Public Affairs Office Cris Swaters told the News-Leader she hasn’t received any calls from members of the community regarding the comments, but she did receive an information request from Newsweek on Monday. The request, notably, confused Springfield, Missouri and Springfield, Ohio.
In a public Facebook post made Tuesday night, Springfield Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott wrote, “Thoughts and prayers for the Springfield, Ohio PIO tonight.” Scott declined to comment for the story.
Here’s where to watch the presidential debate
The full presidential debate is available to stream on the ABC News website and on Disney+. Several other news outlets have also posted the full debate — accessible on their websites and YouTube channels. A full written transcript of the debate is also available on the ABC News website.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@news-leader.com.
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