CNN —
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their neighbors’ pets, using a town hall filled with undecided Latino voters to campaign against local and state voters. Spreading misinformation that leaders of both parties across the board rejected.
Asked by an audience member if he really believed Springfield’s story, President Trump insisted, “I’m just saying what’s been reported.”
“All I do is report,” Trump said, declining to identify the source of the information other than to name the “newspaper.” The former president also said, again without evidence, that immigrant communities “are also eating other things they shouldn’t be eating.”
His latest inflammatory remarks were made at a Univision forum in Florida moderated by Mexican journalist Enrique Acevedo. Trump is winning over Hispanic voters, albeit to a lesser extent than Joe Biden did in 2020, but Vice President Kamala Harris still has an advantage among them. The former president largely ignored detailed questions from the audience Wednesday, often shifting the conversation to attacks on illegal immigrants.
Prior to President Trump’s appearance, the Harris-Waltz campaign held a press conference in Florida where reporters highlighted several children who came to the United States from Central America and were forcibly separated from their parents under the Trump administration’s border policies. He held a press conference and tried to develop the story.
Harris, who appeared at her Univision City Hall last week, said during a debate hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists in September that the former president was “spouting lies based on metaphors” and that Haitians He has repeatedly criticized President Trump for his claims.
Right-wing misinformation about the Haitians currently living in Springfield, who are legally in Temporary Protected Status, has become a staple of President Trump’s dark and often misleading messaging on immigration. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, has also doubled down on conspiracy theories, over the objections of his home state’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, mayors and police chiefs.
A barrage of anonymous threats against the city’s Haitian community led local officials to cancel a celebration of cultural diversity, and DeWine called the topic “garbage” and “absolutely untrue” in September. , ultimately asking state police to protect the students. .
President Trump has previously said that despite Haitian immigrants’ protected status under federal law, they are “illegal immigrants to the best of my knowledge,” and if re-elected in November, he would strip Haitian immigrants of their status and leave the country. He said he intended to expel him.
In his first question to the former president on Wednesday, he, like many others, said the statement was made despite multiple attempts by Springfield officials to publicly quash the false claims. was pointed out. President Trump did not respond directly, but acknowledged he had never been to the city but said he was planning a visit.
President Trump said, “I’m going to go there and investigate. Once I do that, I’ll give you a full report.”
In a debate with Harris in September, President Trump said immigrants were “eating the pets of the people who live there.” Pressed by the host, Trump said he had seen people on TV say their dogs were eaten by the people who went there.
A spokesperson for the City of Springfield told CNN shortly afterward that there are “no credible reports or specific allegations that pets have been harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
President Trump was also asked by voters about his plans for “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants and why he vehemently opposed a bipartisan border bill on Capitol Hill earlier this year.
The bill was supported by Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, a conservative Republican, but President Trump lashed out, calling the deal “a great gift to Democrats and a death wish to Republicans.” After the accusations, Republican support waned.
The former president did not directly answer either question, instead repeating points twice about his administration’s immigration policy, deportation issues and the economic hardships facing farmers.
“In the history of our country, in the beginning of recorded history, we’ve had the strongest borders,” Trump said in response to a question about his border plans. “Four years ago, our borders were great, and people are coming in again, but they’re coming in through legal processes.”
When asked specifically who would take on migrant farm workers’ jobs if they were to be expelled en masse, Trump veered into more absurd claims about illegal immigration, saying that those coming across the Mexican border are “murderers, “Drug traffickers, terrorists,” he said.
CNN’s Arit John contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
