JD Vance Doubles Down On Debunked Cat-Eating Immigrants Lie
JD Vance isn’t letting facts or common decency stop him from spreading a racist lie about Haitian immigrants.
In fact, he’s doubling down — despite it being debunked.
On Monday, the Ohio senator and Republican vice presidential nominee claimed without evidence that “people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
Vance’s false assertion is based on a widely shared social media post supposedly from someone in Springfield, Ohio, who alleged that their neighbor’s daughter’s friend had lost her cat, only to find it “hanging from a branch” at a Haitian neighbor’s home, “carving it up to eat.”
Although the local police are aware of the post, they told the Springfield News-Sun on Monday that they haven’t received any reports related to pets being attacked and eaten.
Still, the bogusness of the claim hasn’t stopped Vance and other Republicans, such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, from amplifying it.
On Tuesday, Vance posted on X, formerly called Twitter, that his office “has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants.”
Of course, he added the caveat that “it’s possible” that “all of these rumors will turn out to be false,” before using the rest of the post to attack Kamala Harris’ immigration policies.
In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who've said their neighbors' pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants. It's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.
Do you know…— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 10, 2024
In a follow-up post, Vance encouraged his followers to continue platforming his racist lie, as well as to not “let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots,” adding, “Keep the cat memes flowing.”
In short, don't let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots.
Keep the cat memes flowing.— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 10, 2024
People on X were aghast that Vance was doubling down on the falsity, and they let their feelings — and skepticism — about it be known.
This tweet is an explicit acknowledgement that the Republican campaign for President is propagating a grotesque racist conspiracy, knowing it’s a fabricated lie, because racist memes motivate their voter base. https://t.co/LPVbT7LAZ3
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) September 10, 2024
So the residents of Springfield have contacted your office because their neighbors' pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants. But those neighbors never reported any missing pets to the local police. You are so terrible at this.
— 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢 (@ChidiNwatu) September 10, 2024
Share the correspondence or voicemails — else it didn’t happen
🥱— Outspoken™️ (@Out5p0ken) September 10, 2024
Yeah when someone gets their pet stolen, the first thing they do is call their senators office, not the police.
Makes total sense. pic.twitter.com/35R0lFEYyg— Peter Henlein (@SwissWatchGuy) September 10, 2024
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) September 10, 2024
.@JDVance You’re completely off the mark. JD Vance’s claims are pure fear-mongering, fueled by unverified rumors and outright misinformation. The accusation that Haitian migrants are abducting pets in Springfield is baseless. Local authorities have confirmed zero credible reports…
— Human☮🇺🇸🇺🇦🇺🇸🌊 (@4HumanUnity) September 10, 2024
Stop digging, JD Vance! Stop spreading a vicious and dangerous blood libel about Haitian migrants eating pets. Stop amplifying these irrational fears that your hillbilly base believes. This is why the lasting impression of American voters towards your candidacy is "YUCK!" pic.twitter.com/LPBVSu5bbc
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) September 10, 2024
One person even had some helpful advice for Vance: “Just say you hate people who aren’t white and blame them for everything; it would have saved you a lot of time.”
Just say you hate people who aren't white and blame them for everything; it would have saved you a lot of time.
— Eric Garcia (@EricG1247) September 10, 2024
HuffPost reached out to the Vance campaign to request correspondence from the constituents that support his disproved claim, but no one immediately responded.
