Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine
John Minchillo | AP
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio on Sunday rebuked the false conspiracy theories that have been amplified by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vanceabout Haitian immigrants stealing and eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio.
“This is a piece of garbage that is simply not true. There’s no evidence of this at all,” DeWine said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Discussion about Haitians eating dogs is just not helpful. And, again, these people are here legally. They’re here legally, and they want to work, and they are, in fact, working.”
Trump and Vance have both tripled down on spreading the false rumorsdespite growing pleas from Ohio governing officials for them to stop the misinformation. The Springfield mayor has repeatedly said there is no evidence to back the conspiracy.
“This discussion just has to stop,” DeWine said. “We need to focus on moving forward and not dogs and cats being eaten. It’s just ridiculous.”
The Trump campaign is organizing a visit to Springfield, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News on Sunday. Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamynow a surrogate for the Trump campaign, also announced Sunday that he would host a town hall in Springfield on Thursday.
Trump boosted the conspiracies most widely on the debate stage against Vice President Kamala Harris last Tuesday. And Vance has continued to defend the talking point.
“The American media totally ignored this stuff, until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes,” Vance said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “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.”
Following the comments from Trump and Vance, Springfield schools have faced bomb threatsforcing evacuations and temporary closures. Wittenberg University in Springfield canceled all Sunday activities after receiving email threats about a potential on-campus shooting targeting Haitians.
With 51 days until the November election, these conspiracy comments have led Trump and Vance to spend campaign time shielding themselves from backlash in a state that has been viewed as safe Republican territory this election season.
“He’s going to do well in Ohio,” DeWine said. “I think he’s always better off talking about the issues that really impact Americans.”