Donald Trump doubles down on debunked claim that immigrants are eating pets

At a municipality hallway connected Wednesday, Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump doubled down connected the assertion that immigrants are eating pets successful Ohio — despite those claims being wide debunked.

At a municipality hallway hosted by Spanish-language TV Univision, an undecided Mexican-born Latino Republican elector from Arizona, a battleground state, asked Trump successful Spanish whether helium genuinely believed that immigrants were eating pets.

“I was conscionable saying what was reported… And eating different things excessively that they’re not expected to be. All I bash is report,” Trump replied during the lawsuit held successful Miami, sharing nary sources different than claiming it has been reported successful “newspapers.”

“I was there, I’m going to beryllium determination and we’re going to instrumentality a look.”

In caller weeks, the erstwhile president has amplified the mendacious assertion that Haitian immigrants successful Springfield, Ohio, person been stealing pets from residents and capturing wildlife from section parks to termination and devour arsenic food.

In September, erstwhile helium squared disconnected against Vice-President Kamala Harris for the presidential debate, helium archetypal pushed the narrative, claiming without evidence: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The radical that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the radical that unrecorded there,” helium said astatine the time, his remarks instantly going viral and starring to bomb threats being issued against the city.

Pressed by the moderator, Trump said helium saw radical connected tv who said “their canine was eaten by the radical that went there.”

Local officials and statewide leaders successful Ohio, including Republicans, person made it wide connected galore occasions that determination is no credibility to specified claims.

Trump, who has not yet travelled to Springfield, has antecedently said helium would conduct wide deportations of Haitian immigrants from the Ohio city, adjacent though the immense bulk of them are successful the U.S. legally.

But, connected Wednesday, helium dodged and dismissed questions astir his plans concerning immigrants.

When 1 undecided elector asked who would bash the occupation of harvesting America’s effect if Trump followed done with his program to oust, en masse, the undocumented workers who presently bash the job, helium sidestepped the question.

Instead, helium accused newer immigrants to the state of stealing jobs from Hispanic and African Americans and described migrants crossed the U.S. borderline with Mexico arsenic “hundreds of thousands of radical that are murderers, cause dealers and terrorists.”

“We person to person radical that are large radical travel into our country,” helium said. “I privation them successful adjacent much than you do.”

Trump has antecedently said that the Haitian migrants, contempt being successful the U.S. legally nether Temporary Protected Status, are “illegal immigrants arsenic acold arsenic I’m concerned,” saying helium would revoke their presumption and deport them if helium wins different word successful November.

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Trump has been attempting to marque inroads with America’s Latino colonisation and polls amusement he’s gaining crushed successful the divers voting bloc, galore who unrecorded successful important plaything states similar Arizona and Nevada. However, polls amusement that Harris inactive has an vantage with Latino voters, who person typically backed Democrats successful the past.

Harris led Trump by 8 percent points – 47 per cent to 39 per cent – among Hispanic voters successful Reuters/Ipsos polling conducted betwixt Sept. 11 and Oct. 7. Harris held her ain Latino municipality hallway past week successful Nevada, a battleground authorities with a important Hispanic population.

Now, the Trump run is hoping to triumph implicit much of the Hispanic vote, particularly men, connected the backmost of economical discontent.

Trump has antecedently utilized dehumanizing terminology to picture immigrants successful the U.S. illegally, calling them “animals” erstwhile talking astir alleged transgression acts, and saying they are “poisoning the humor of our country,” a operation that has drawn disapproval arsenic xenophobic and echoing Nazi rhetoric.

Another municipality hallway participant, a Florida-based Republican, said helium wanted to springiness Trump a accidental to “win backmost his vote” fixed his concerns implicit the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and erstwhile Trump medication officials turning against the erstwhile president.

Thousands of Trump supporters rushed the Capitol successful Washington, D.C., that time successful a bid to stop ceremonial certification of his predetermination defeat, causing millions of dollars successful damage. Four radical died connected the time of the attack, and 1 Capitol Police serviceman who fought against the rioters died the adjacent day.

Trump gave a lengthy effect successful which helium described Jan. 6 arsenic a “day of love” and said erstwhile medication officials who had turned against him were aggravated astir having been fired.

“I anticipation someday possibly we’ll get your vote,” Trump said arsenic helium wrapped up. “Sounds similar possibly I won’t, but that’s OK too.”

— With files from Reuters