Harris in NABJ interview denounces false claims about Haitians in Ohio

Vice President Kamala Harris said Americans “deserve better” than the Springfield, Ohio online conspiracy theory that Haitians are eating pets in an interview on Tuesday hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists.

“The American people deserve — and I believe, do want better than this,” Harris said on Tuesday at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia. “Regardless of someone's background, their race, their gender, their geographic location, I know that people are deeply troubled by what is happening to that community in Springfield, Ohio, and it's got to stop.”

The conspiracy spread on social media and former President Donald Trump brought it into the mainstream when he mentioned it on the ABC News debate stage last week. There have since been numerous threats of violence in Springfield, including more than two dozen bomb threats.

Harris also said that the former president highlighting an unverified rumor fits a pattern of behavior from Trump.

“This is not new in terms of these tropes. This is not new in terms of where it's coming from,” Harris said, of Trump’s past actions. “Whether it is refusing to rent to people, rent to Black families; whether it is taking out a full-page ad in the New York Times against five innocent Black and Latino teenagers, Central Park Five, calling for their execution; whether it is referring to the first Black president of the United States with a lie, birther lies.”

Trump's spokesperson, when asked for comment, accused Harris of using "disgusting rhetoric" but didn't provide specifics.

Local officials have denied that there have been any real cases of people’s pets being eaten by immigrants or Americans in Springfield. But Sen. JD Vance, who represents Ohio and is Trump’s running mate, has said that raising the rumor in public brings attention to immigration and border policy.

Harris said the Springfield claims would continue to divide people and make some feel unsafe.

“You can go back to Ohio,” Harris said when asked about her own security as a candidate. “Not everybody has Secret Service, and there are far too many people in our country right now who are not feeling safe.”