Donald Trump wanted to spend this week attacking one of Democratic rival Kamala Harris’s biggest political vulnerabilities. Instead, he spent much of the week falsely claiming that immigrants are eating pets in a small Ohio town and defending his support for a far-right activist whose presence is raising concerns among his allies.
Trump’s repetition of unfounded social media rumors about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating pets grabbed headlines during a Western trip, including stops in Arizona and Nevada, later this week. His promotion of the allegations overshadowed a series of speeches focused on the economy and blaming Clinton for border security failures.
Trump, at a news conference in California on Friday (13), promised “massive deportations” from Springfield, Ohio — the city that has become a political flashpoint as Republicans, including Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, spread false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
The city of Springfield notes on its website that approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, and that the Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and legal residents to petition for their Haitian family members to migrate to the United States.
He also pointed to a Venezuelan gang in Aurora, Colorado. Continuing to use dehumanizing language to describe undocumented immigrants, Trump said “nests of bad people” are being emptied in the United States.
“It’s like an invasion from within and we’re going to have the biggest deportation in the history of our country. And we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora,” he said.
“The people of Ohio are scared,” he added. “It’s going to get worse. It’s going to get really bad. You know what we’re experiencing right now is they’re just settling in.”
Trump reiterated the same themes later Friday at a rally in Las Vegas. “We’re under invasion like an army, except in many ways it’s harder because they don’t wear uniforms, you don’t know who the hell to go after,” he said.
Again mentioning Springfield and Aurora, Trump continued: “I am your border president. From now on, I want to be your border president.”
Why does Trump want to attack Kamala on immigration?
Republicans widely believe that immigration and border security is a key political issue for the party — and one they can use to attack Harris, whom they have labeled President Joe Biden’s “border czar.”
That label stems from Biden asking the vice president in 2021 to lead diplomacy with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to address the conditions that led their citizens to try to migrate to the United States.
However, during Tuesday’s debate (10), Trump’s attacks on Kamala over immigration turned outrageous as he falsely claimed that immigrants are eating cats and dogs in Springfield.
Trump’s comments were met with strong condemnation from Biden.
“It’s just wrong. And it has no place in America. This has to stop — what he’s doing — it has to stop,” Biden said during a Black Excellence luncheon hosted at the White House on Friday.
Springfield City Hall was forced to close due to a bomb threat Thursday (12). People were evacuated from two elementary schools in Springfield on Friday “based on information received from the Springfield Police Department,” the city’s School District announced.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue on Thursday night urged national candidates — a clear reference to Trump and Vance — to “pay attention to what your words are doing to cities like ours.”
“We need help, not hate,” Rue said.
Trump dismissed those concerns on Friday.
“No, no. The real threat is what’s happening on our border,” he said.
Even Pope Francis sharply criticized Trump on Friday for his stance on immigration, while also criticizing Kamala for her support of abortion rights.
“To send immigrants away, to leave them wherever you want, to leave them… it is something terrible, there is evil in it. To send a child away from the womb of the mother is murder, because there is life. We must speak about these things clearly,” the pope said.
Vance, Trump’s running mate, argued that Trump’s comments had ignited the conversation about immigration — even as he acknowledged in X the fragility of the rumors that ignited the story.
On Tuesday (10), Vance posted: “It is possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.” But the veracity of the allegations did not appear to be his main concern.
“Don’t let the biased media shame you into not discussing this slowly unfolding humanitarian crisis in a small town in Ohio. We should be talking about this every day. Kamala Harris did it. And she will continue to do it unless we stop her,” he posted on X on Friday.
Trump calls Loomer a “free spirit”
Allegations of immigrants eating pets in Ohio weren’t the only eyebrow-raising moment this week that put the spotlight on the former president’s campaign.
Trump has been spending time with far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has spread conspiracy theories about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and shared racist comments on social media attacking Kamala.

Several people close to the former president say Loomer contributed to some of the unsavory conspiracy theories Trump has promoted since Harris replaced Biden on the ticket, a shift that has left the GOP nominee increasingly unsettled by the political landscape he now faces.
Trump on Friday described Loomer as a “free spirit” and “supportive.”
“She’s a strong person. She has strong opinions, and I don’t know what she said, but that’s not up to me. She’s a supporter,” Trump said.
The Democratic National Committee’s rapid response director, Alex Floyd, on Friday highlighted Trump’s relationship with Loomer and other controversial allies. He said those surrounding Trump are “as professional as you would expect from a convicted fraudster.”
Kamala campaigns in Pennsylvania
Trump and Kamala were back on the campaign trail late this week after a debate Tuesday night in which 63 percent of viewers said Kamala won to Trump’s 37 percent, according to a poll by CNN with observers of debates conducted by SSRS.
The former president’s trip west came as Kamala was campaigning in Pennsylvania — the biggest battleground in the 2024 election, with 19 Electoral College votes up for grabs.
Combined, the community has seen $175 million spent on television ads — more than $93 million by Democrats and more than $81 million by Republicans, according to data from AdImpact.
Another $136 million, including nearly $77 million by Democrats and $59 million by Republicans, was set aside between Saturday and Election Day. That is more than was spent, or set aside, in any other state.
Harris needs to turn out strongly in Democratic strongholds like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but also to minimize Trump’s margins as much as possible in red parts of the state. Her visit on Friday focused on two counties that Trump won during his two White House runs — Cambria and Luzerne.
“At the end of the day, I feel very strongly that we have to earn every vote and that means spending time with people in the community where they live. That’s why I’m here. We’re going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania,” Kamala told reporters at a bookstore in Johnstown on Friday.
Kit Maher, Betsy Klein, Ebony Davis and Kate Sullivan from CNN contributed to this report.
This content was originally published in Analysis: How Trump’s statements about pets hindered attacks against Kamala on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil

Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.