Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday decried former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating dogs and other pets as “garbage” but stopped short of directly condemning Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, for spreading the false claims.
“There’s a lot of garbage on the internet. You know, this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There’s no evidence of this at all,” DeWine said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” when he was asked whether it’s responsible for Trump to push the false claims.
Asked what he would say to Trump after he pointed out that there is no truth to his claims, DeWine condemned groups that have marched in Springfield as part of a hate campaign against Haitian immigrants and went on to praise Haitians as hard-working people who have brought “positive influences” to the town.
“Hate groups coming into Springfield, we don’t need these hate groups,” he said. “I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about from purportedly the KKK [Ku Klux Klan]. Springfield is a good city. They are good people. They’re welcoming people. We have challenges every day. We’re working on those challenges.
“Haitians are — culturally, my wife, Fran, and I have seen this when we’ve been down in Haiti — education is prized,” he added. “So when you look at all of these things, people who want to work, people who value their kids, who value education, you know, these are positive influences on our community in Springfield, and any comment about that otherwise, I think, is hurtful and is not helpful to the city of Springfield and the people of Springfield.”
Recent bomb threats in Springfield prompted closings of schools and municipal buildings last week amid widespread scrutiny the town faces over false rumors of Haitian migrants stealing and eating household pets.
Pressed about whether there is a connection between the bomb threats and the baseless claims Trump and Vance are spreading online, DeWine called for discussions about the claims to stop but did not directly criticize Trump or Vance for amplifying the right-wing conspiracy theories.
“I think these discussions about Haitians eating dogs and cats and other things needs to stop,” he said. “We need to focus on what is important. What is important is that we get primary care health to everyone in a very growing city, that we do other things in regard to housing. These are kind of basic things that we need to do. We need to focus on those and not these.”
DeWine noted that many of the Haitian immigrants in Springfield went there legally under federal programs as refugees who fled political turmoil in their country and said they have helped boost the state’s economy as workers.
“This discussion about Haitians’ eating dogs is just not helpful,” he said. “And again, these people are here legally. They’re here legally, and they want to work, and they are, in fact, working. And when you talk to the employers, what the employers tell you is, you know, we don’t know what we would do without them. They are working, and they’re working very hard.”
DeWine, however, stood by his endorsement of Trump when he was asked about whether his support has softened in light of his false claims.
“I’ve said before we knew who the nominee was going to be I would support the Republican nominee for president,” he said. “I am a Republican. I think if you look at the economy issues, and these are issues that I think the American people are most concerned about, I think that Donald Trump is the best choice.”
Trump pushed the baseless claim about Haitian immigrants during the presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris last week, arguing that Springfield is an example of the detrimental effects of immigration as a result of Harris’ immigration policies.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has slammed the false claims and urged the public, especially prominent public figures, not to amplify them further.
“Springfield is a beautiful community, and your pets are safe in Springfield, Ohio,” Rue said on MSNBC’s “Katy Tur Reports” last week. “We’ve made that known publicly, and we’re asking people to understand and believe the reports that we’re sharing with them.
“We need those that have a national stage that have a mic, with millions and millions [of followers], we need them to understand what their words are doing to cities like Springfield, Ohio,” he added. “What we need is help. We don’t need this misinformation.”
Vance pushed back Sunday against claims that the fringe online conspiracy theory is false, claiming he has heard concerns from constituents about the matter.
“I hear you saying that they’re baseless, but I’m not repeating them because I invented them out of thin air,” Vance said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Vance doubled down on those comments in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” later Sunday, saying, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Pressed for clarification, Vance reiterated that he heard firsthand accounts from his constituents.
“I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it,” he said on CNN.
Vance also dismissed comments from local officials urging people not to spread the false claims in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Asked what he has done to help DeWine with his request for federal assistance as the influx of thousands of migrants in recent years strains the state’s health system, Vance sought to blame Harris, whom President Joe Biden in 2021 tasked with addressing the root causes of migration at the southern border, for her policies.
“Well, the most important thing that we can do to assist Gov. DeWine and the whole state of Ohio, and frankly, the whole country, Margaret, is to stop Kamala Harris’ open border,” he said. “And for two years, I’ve been fighting for policies that do exactly that.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
