DAILY BEAST
Cheat SheetNewsletters
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Sales
      • Reviews
      • New Kids on the Block
      • Beauty
      • Fitness
      • Home
      • Technology
      • Travel
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      • My Account
      • Manage Newsletters
      • Subscription Offers
      • Need Help?
      HOMEPAGE
      Electionssubvertical orientation badge

      Chaos Dogs City Where Trump Says Haitians Eat Pets

      RUFF TIMES

      The fantastical tales perpetuated by Donald Trump and JD Vance have led to evacuations and school shutdowns.

      Lily Mae Lazarus

      Journalist

      Mary Ann Akers

      Deputy Washington Bureau Chief

      Updated Sep. 16, 2024 10:01PM EDT / Published Sep. 16, 2024 5:37PM EDT 
      Photo Illustration of Donald Trump, JD Vance and an innocent dog.

      Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

      Another day, another nightmare for residents of Springfield, Ohio, which rocketed into the national spotlight thanks to Donald Trump and JD Vance.

      Bomb threats again forced two schools to evacuate on Monday, and the city's cultural fest was canceled amid security concerns fueled by anti-immigrant rhetoric and pet-eating conspiracy theories. So far, city schools have received at least 33 bomb threats, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday while visiting Springfield.

      Advertisement

      He said the threats turned out to be hoaxes and he alleged that all originated from “overseas,” but declined to identify any country or countries.

      While the governor dismissed the credibility of ongoing violent threats and said Springfield schools would re-open, Wittenberg University, which is located in the city, announced it would go fully remote and canceled all upcoming on-campus events until at least Sep. 22.

      The liberal arts college attributed their decision to directly receiving new threats and “the context of ongoing threats of violence on our campus and in the Springfield community.”

      Meanwhile, students at two elementary schools were forced out of their classrooms Monday and transported to another school district, according to Springfield officials.

      Advertisement

      “I’ve kinda seen it coming,” one mother said, adding that she only dropped her children off at school because it was picture day. “It seems to be each day a new school.”

      Advertisement

      On Sept. 13, two other elementary schools in the small southwestern Ohio town were evacuated. The day prior, a middle school was forced to close. In the past week, 21 buildings in Springfield have been placed on lockdown, evacuated, closed or searched because of the threats, according to Spectrum News.

      “I don’t know what the end goal here is, the people aren’t going anywhere,” the mother continued. “We just need to find a way to make it work instead of invoking fear and separation.”

      Advertisement

      She and other parents and caregivers expressed frustration about the disruption, with a grandparent telling journalist Oliya Scootercaster he hoped that authorities catch whomever is responsible for the threats and “lock them up forever or deport them."

      One Springfield father squarely blamed Trump for the ongoing security concerns because of his claims during the presidential debate last week when he said, “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.”

      “He can’t speak like that, people will react,” the Ohio father said.

      Advertisement

      Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who reportedly plans to visit Springfield in the coming days, and Vance, his running mate, have both adopted talking points from a far-fetched, right-wing conspiracy theory tinged with xenophobia that was hatched on social media. The conspiracy targets Haitian migrants, accusing them of creating chaos in the small Ohio city.

      During a recent campaign rally, the former president even vowed to remove Haitian migrants from Springfield. And on Monday, he suggested a more wide-scale deportation in a posting on X.

      Vance all but admitted Sunday on CNN that he and Trump are fabricating their claims about pet-eating immigrants to draw attention to immigration, their top campaign issue, in spite of the threats of violence and upheaval to daily life in the small southwestern town.

      Advertisement

      “The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes,” the GOP vice presidential pick said. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

      “I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it,” Vance clarified. “I didn’t create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies. Her policies did that. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’ policies.”

        Gov. DeWine on Sunday slammed the conspiracy theory perpetuated by Trump and Vance as a “piece of garbage,” telling ABC News that “Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work.”

        Advertisement

        He echoed his defense of local Haitians who have been targeted by the far-right conspiracy, saying they are hard-working citizens, on Monday.

        “One company told me, ‘I don’t think we would even be here without the Haitian employees,’” the governor said.

        Still, Trump persisted, saying, “I don’t know what happened with the bomb threats. I know that it’s been taken over by illegal migrants and that’s a terrible thing that has happened.”

        Lily Mae Lazarus

        Lily Mae Lazarus

        Journalist

        @LilyMaeLazaruslilymae.lazarus@thedailybeast.com
        Mary Ann Akers

        Mary Ann Akers

        Deputy Washington Bureau Chief

        maryann.akers@thedailybeast.com

        Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • World
        • Innovation
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Coupons
        • Coupons:
        • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
        • HP Coupon Codes
        • Chewy Promo Codes
        • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
        • NordVPN Coupons
        • JCPenny Coupons
        • Nordstrom Coupons
        • Samsung Promo Coupons
        • Home Depot Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • eBay Coupons
        • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
        © 2024 The Daily Beast Company LLC