The Republican mayor of Springfield, Ohio said last week that a visit from Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance would "tax the city's resources" after weeks of disruption thanks to their refusal to apologize for perpetuating lies about Haitian immigrants "stealing and eating" neighborhood pets.
Schools, hospitals, and civic offices have received repeated bomb threats after Trump and Vance dug in deeper on the fully debunked rumor, which started as a Facebook post about a missing cat. The cat in question was found in her owner's basement, and the facts have been confirmed by the Springfield City Manager along with Mayor Rob Rue and Ohio's Republican Governor, Mike DeWine.
DeWine called Trump's claims “garbage,” when he visited Springfield last week as the city was still responding to temporary closures and evacuations of schools and city buildings.
Vance, who represents Ohio in the Senate, told CNN's Dana Bash that he has "no problem" making up stories to "get the media to pay attention" and has yet to back down.
Trump has threatened to begin mass deportation of what he deemed "illegal immigrants" in Springfield, despite being told the Haitian immigrants are there legally.
It also doesn't help that JD Vance thinks Haitians come from a country called "Haitia" (pronounced "Heyshuh").
As Vance continues to defend baseless conspiracies about migrants in the city, Mayor Rob Rue continues to plead with the Trump campaign to stop spreading the rumor and to postpone any potential visits, as he once again reiterated Monday on MSNBC.
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