Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Tuesday that unsubstantiated comments from former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), about Haitian migrants eating household pets are “not helpful” and “very hurtful” to the people of Springfield.
DeWine, who supports the Republican presidential ticket, was asked in an interview on NewsNation’s “Cuomo” what his advice would be to Trump and Vance “about what to do with these allegations about eating pets in Springfield that they keep repeating.”
“They’re very hurtful. It’s very hurtful to people,” DeWine told anchor Chris Cuomo. “It’s hurtful to the people in Springfield, hurtful to the Haitians who are working every day.”
DeWine said he hosted a breakfast with employers of local Haitian migrants, and “they said they work very hard. They’re very focused. They’re family oriented.”
“It’s hurtful for them, very, very much, and some of them are afraid,” he continued.
The GOP governor stressed he was not interested in advising the Trump-Vance campaign. He added, though, he thinks the Republican nominees are smart to talk about the border, but he cautioned against letting that discussion devolve into fabricated rumors that can hurt a particular community.
“Look, if you ask for advice, I don’t usually tell people how to run a campaign,” DeWine said. “I just think that the border is a huge issue. It’s a very legitimate issue. It’s something where I think the Biden administration has not done well and has failed. And I think talking about that makes a lot of sense, and I think that people want to hear about that.”
“But this whole thing about eating dogs and cats and, you know, it’s just, it’s very hurtful,” he added. “It’s not helpful, not helpful to people in Springfield.”
Trump mentioned the city during the presidential debate last week, when he repeated false claims about Haitian migrants eating people’s pets. Vance was first to bring the rumors to the mainstream political discourse, and he has since doubled down on his allegations.
DeWine has become vocal in refuting the claims, giving interviews in the last few days to numerous media outlets. But he has largely avoided criticizing the Republican presidential ticket, instead stressing that the comments are untrue but that they are right to criticize the Biden administration on its border policy.
The Buckeye State governor has also said the community of Springfield faces serious challenges and strains on its resources, given the influx of Haitian migrants in recent years. But he has maintained the unsubstantiated rumors circulating have only added to the challenges the community faces.
“The mayor says there’s no evidence. Chief of police says there’s no evidence. City manager says there was no evidence,” he said Tuesday. “There’s no evidence, just no evidence of this at all.”
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for a response.
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