With hours to go until the Sept. 10, 2024, debate between U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Arizona Republican Party announced a new billboard campaign displaying the words, "Eat less kittens. Vote Republican!"
A mockup image of the billboard's design showed four kittens dressed as cows — a clear design inspiration from the "Eat Mor Chikin" advertising promoted by Chick-fil-A.
A post on the party's Facebook page featuring the mockup image read, "NEW AZGOP BILLBOARD ALERT! 'EAT LESS KITTENS – Vote Republican!' This campaign highlights just how horrific things have become under the failed policies of 'Border Czar' Kamala Harris. President Trump is committed to securing our borders and ensuring that what we've seen elsewhere does not become the norm in our country. If you're driving in Phoenix, keep an eye out for it!"
Just over two hours later, the Arizona Republican Party posted that 12 billboards were live in the Phoenix metro area.
By email, a spokesperson for the Arizona Republican Party told Snopes that the 12 billboards were all digital and would be active until Sept. 13.
The billboards' mention of eating kittens referenced a recent conspiracy theory claiming that evidence existed of Haitian immigrants in the U.S. killing and eating pet cats and park ducks in Springfield, Ohio. As we previously reported , that rumor was unfounded.
Users on X promoted the new billboards and rumor after the Arizona Republican Party made its announcement. For example, a user named @DC_Draino posted , whether in jest or not, "The media is going all out to cover up these stories about illegal aliens eating people's pets. They don't want the truth out there."
However, not included with @DC_Draino's post and other similar posts were the facts that the Springfield News-Sun newspaper reported on Sept. 9 that the Springfield Police Division said it had received no reports related to pets being stolen and eaten, as well as the fact that Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said such rumors regarding claims of geese or ducks from parks being killed and eaten were unsubstantiated. Further, CBS News reported another city official saying much the same.
Readers looking for more information about the unfounded conspiracy theory are welcome to read through our prior reporting .
Sources:
Ferris, Layla. "JD Vance Repeats Baseless Claim Haitian Immigrants Are Eating Pets as Ohio Officials Say There Is No Evidence." CBS News , 10 Sept. 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/baseless-claim-haiti-immigrants-cats-springfield-ohio/ .
Kasprak, Alex. "No Evidence Haitian Immigrants Are Eating Ducks, Geese or Pets in Springfield, Ohio." Snopes , 10 Sept. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/cats-ducks-haitians-springfield/ .
Orozco, Jessica. "Ohio AG Rips Springfield Immigration, Eyes Lawsuit; Local Leaders Talk Solutions." The Springfield News-Sun , 9 Sept. 2024, https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio-ag-rips-springfield-immigration-eyes-lawsuit-local-leaders-talk-solutions/BBUFTOOMSVGOFGCAD4KE4JOWMQ/ .
---. "Springfield Police Say No Reports of Pets Stolen, after Viral Social Media Post." The Springfield News-Sun , 9 Sept. 2024, https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-police-say-no-reports-of-pets-stolen-after-viral-social-media-post/3WSIZQNHQVE4NP4TS5BVHBB2PY/ .
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