Trump Supporters Flood Social Media With Viral Hoax About Migrants Eating Cats and Ducks

Supporters of Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump flooded the website formerly known arsenic Twitter with images of cats and ducks connected Monday. What prompted this abrupt emotion for animals successful a assemblage known for its sadism and hatred for each things pleasant? It turns out, they were responding to an incredibly racist hoax started connected Facebook and amplified by Trump’s moving mate JD Vance.

“Months ago, I raised the contented of Haitian amerciable immigrants draining societal services and mostly causing chaos each implicit Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote connected X Monday morning. “Reports present amusement that radical person had their pets abducted and eaten by radical who shouldn’t beryllium successful this country. Where is our borderline czar?”

Vance’s tweet has racked up 2 cardinal views and counting astatine the clip of this writing.

Months ago, I raised the contented of Haitian amerciable immigrants draining societal services and mostly causing chaos each implicit Springfield, Ohio.

Reports present amusement that radical person had their pets abducted and eaten by radical who shouldn't beryllium successful this country. Where is our borderline czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024

What are these “reports” that Vance is citing? It should beryllium nary astonishment that the reports are implicit garbage cooked up connected Facebook. An relationship called the Calvin Coolidge Project shared a screenshot of the Facebook station connected Sunday night, which helped ignite the hoax communicative the pursuing day.

🚨Report: Springfield Ohio residents are informing their pets and wildlife similar ducks and geese are being eaten by Haitians

One neighbour said she saw her feline being carved up by the Haitians. Another neighbour said a constabulary serviceman told her this is happening to dogs, ducks and geese pic.twitter.com/vANFMqUAzM

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) September 9, 2024

The Facebook post, which appears to person shown up successful immoderate Springfield, Ohio group, is 1 of those idiotic “friend of a person of a friend” stories that’s ne'er really true:

Warning to each astir our beloved pets & those astir us!! My neighbour informed maine that her daughters person had mislaid her cat. She checked pages, kennels, asked around, etc. One time she came location from work, arsenic soon arsenic she stepped retired of her car, looked towards a neighbors house, wherever Haitians live, & saw her feline hanging from a branch, similar you’d bash a cervid for butchering, & they were carving it up to eat. I’ve been told they are doing this to dogs, they person been doing it astatine snyder parkland with the ducks & geese, arsenic I was told that past spot by Rangers & police. Please support a adjacent oculus connected these animals

The tweet that shared the Facebook station besides included a photograph of a feline holding a goose which had thing to bash with the station but appears to beryllium wherever the assertion that immigrants are sidesplitting and eating ducks came from. As the Washington Post pointed out, the photograph wasn’t taken successful Springfield and there’s nary grounds the antheral is from Haiti oregon an immigrant.

Springfield Police released a connection Monday greeting saying they person no reports of stolen pets that are being eaten. And portion anserine lies and rumors astir immigrants to the U.S. doing bizarre things didn’t commencement with the invention of the internet, societal media has surely made it easier for these things to dispersed quickly.

There was a study of a 27-year-old pistillate successful Canton, Ohio who allegedly killed and tried to devour portion of a feline past month, according to Fox News. And galore far-right influencers linked to that communicative connected Monday arsenic expected impervious of their anserine story. But there’s nary grounds the pistillate was an migrant from Haiti, contempt what far-right influencers insist. Humans conscionable bash highly gross worldly sometimes.

Far-right accounts inundated X with AI images of Trump saving ducks and cats, sometimes portion carrying weapons. It’s a communal aesthetic prime that’s really precise comic fixed the information that Trump is specified a feeble coward successful existent life.

Haters volition accidental this is AI. pic.twitter.com/Tt3VTi7r6h

— Steve 🇺🇸 (@SteveLovesAmmo) September 9, 2024

Tech oligarch Elon Musk adjacent contributed to the treatment connected his societal media level X with a heart-filled emoji of 1 peculiarly ridiculous AI representation showing Trump hugging a duck and a cat.

🥰 https://t.co/b2NIbLkgIL

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024

Musk besides wrote successful different tweet “Vote for Kamala if you privation this to hap to your neighborhood!” portion quote-tweeting a video of Harris talking astir immigration. The relationship Musk was quote-tweeting repeated the prevarication that Haitians were destroying a municipality successful Ohio and “reportedly termination and devour peoples pets” portion “Kamala Harris” was “bragging astir allowing them to flood into our country.” Just vile and racist lies each around, obviously.

Vote for Kamala if you privation this to hap to your neighborhood! https://t.co/TfR8ekmFAZ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024

Trump’s online accelerated effect squad connected X, known arsenic Trump War Room, doubled down connected the racism with, “President Trump volition deport migrants who devour pets. Kamala Harris volition nonstop them to your municipality next. Make your choice, America.”

It should beryllium nary astonishment that Trump and Vance are trying to propulsion thing astatine the partition and spot what sticks. They’re flailing successful a mode that Trump’s run was not backmost erstwhile President Joe Biden was the nominee. Biden dropped retired of the contention connected July 21 and Harris stepped in, instantly making up the shortage Biden had struggled with against Trump successful the polls.

The contention is present a dormant heat, with Harris performing good successful astir of the battleground states, which is precisely wherefore Trump and Vance are going to effort thing close present to decision her. Racist memes astir immigrants coming to devour your feline are astir apt conscionable the opening salvo. When Harris’s moving mate Tim Walz helped popularize the statement of Vance and Trump arsenic “weird,” the Republicans had nary thought however to respond. A gag astir Vance having sex with couches turned into a meme that Republicans online responded to by trying to assertion Walz indispensable portion equine semen. In trying to respond to a goofy absurdist joke, they made it weird. Because they ever do.

There’s nary telling however debased they’ll spell with absurd lies arsenic we get person to Election Day connected November 5. But you tin stake it’s going to get weirder earlier it gets better.