Trump's Campaign Is Doubling Down On His Racist Lie — And Things Could Get Much Worse

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On Friday morning, at least three schools in Springfield, Ohio — a city at the center of racist fearmongering about Haitian immigrants — were hit with a bomb threat, forcing two to evacuate and one to close. This came just one day after Springfield City Hall was evacuated due to a bomb threat from someone claiming to be a resident and complaining about immigration. Haitian residents have said they fear sending their children to school and being victimized by property crimes.

The threat of violence that looms over the area is the result of a vile lie from leading Republicans about Haitian immigrants stealing pets and geese for food, a claim that managed to find its way from the dredges of the internet to the presidential debate stage. There is zero evidence that this has ever occurred in Springfield.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” former President Donald Trump bellowed from his lectern at Tuesday night’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, while tens of millions of viewers watched.

One thing is clear: If this continues, someone could get hurt — or worse. And yet, even as the threats and evacuations mount, Trump and GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance are refusing to call for calm. In fact, they are doubling down. Around 24 hours after Springfield City Hall closed due to a bomb threat, Vance posted on social media about immigration in Springfield, saying his followers should not “let biased media shame you into not discussing this slow moving humanitarian crisis in a small Ohio town.”

The crisis is hard to