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President Biden has criticized former President Donald Trump over accusations that Haitian migrants living in Ohio are eating household pets.
Let’s bring you up to speed: Rumors about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets stemmed in part from an unrelated incident involving a woman named Alexis Ferrell. On August 16, Ferrell, 27, was arrested outside Canton, Ohio, after witnesses saw her kill and eat a cat. Bodycam footage from the arrest showed her covered in the cat’s blood while eating it. She was charged with animal cruelty and disorderly conduct. Ferrell is not a Haitian migrant, and the incident occurred far from Springfield. Despite this, political figures like Senator JD Vance and former President Donald Trump helped spread the claims, with Vance’s office confirming they’ve received calls about the migrants eating pets. In addition, the woman who originally pushed the story has since stated that she was basing her reporting off “rumors.”
What’s the deal: While speaking to a crowd at the White House, President Biden said, “I want to today take a moment to say something like — so many Americans, like Karine, as you pointed out, a proud Haitian American — a community that’s under attack in our country right now. It’s simply wrong. There’s no place in America. This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop.”
What Trump’s been doing: During the presidential debate, Trump claimed that migrants were eating “dogs and cats.” He has also shared various memes and images of pets, encouraging people to support him in the upcoming election. One picture on his feed included a cat holding a sign that reads, “Kamala hates me.”
Ohio Governor pushes back: During an interview earlier this week with CBS, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said the internet “can be quite crazy.” He added that accusations of migrants eating pets were false, and there’s no direct evidence to support it.
