Former President Trump pledged to travel to Springfield, Ohio, after false claims that he and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), have made about Haitian immigrants eating pets in the city.
Trump said at a rally in New York on Wednesday that he would go to the town in the next two weeks and also go to Aurora, Colo., where discussions of gang activity from Venezuelan migrants have been exaggerated but still become a part of the national conversation on immigration.
“I’m going to go there in the next two weeks. I’m going to Springfield, and I’m going to Aurora,” Trump said. “You may never see me again, but that’s OK. Gotta do what I gotta do. Whatever happened to Trump? Well, he never got out of Springfield.”
The Republican presidential nominee’s comments come as widespread attention has been given to Springfield, where false claims of Haitian migrants eating pets surfaced after conservative national figures like Charlie Kirk and Elon Musk posted about them.
Vance then posted about the claims, saying his office has received “many inquiries” from Springfield residents about migrants abducting their neighbors’ pets and local wildlife.
The Springfield Police Department has said it has not received any reports of anyone stealing or eating pets.
Trump also repeated the false claim during the presidential debate with Vice President Harris last week.
Springfield city manager Bryan Heck has said these types of false allegations are distracting from the real issues that the city is facing with the burden that increasing numbers of immigrants are placing on city resources like housing and healthcare.
NBC News had previously reported that Trump planned to visit Springfield “soon.” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue responded to that reporting by saying that a visit would be an “extreme strain on our resources” and that Trump not visiting would be fine.
As the claims have gained attention, more than 30 “unfounded bomb threats” have been made throughout the city at schools, the state motor vehicle office and city hall.
The city of Aurora has also received attention in the national immigration discussion, with conspiracy theories spreading of Venezuelan gang members taking over apartment buildings there. Some members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua have been operating in Aurora, a handful of whom have been arrested, but the city police have denied that any apartment buildings have been taken over.