Vice President Kamala Harris strongly criticized the “hateful rhetoric” from former President Donald Trump over his false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pet cats and dogs. Speaking to a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, Harris condemned Trump’s remarks, saying, “Someone engaging in that divisive rhetoric cannot be trusted with the responsibilities of the presidency.”
Trump’s accusations about Haitians in Springfield surfaced during a recent presidential debate, sparking viral misinformation. In response, the city has increased security measures. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine deployed several state troopers due to a series of bomb threats, which he stated were baseless. These threats forced the evacuation of two elementary schools and led local colleges to shift to online classes. A festival planned for the end of the month was also canceled as a precaution. DeWine, a Republican, noted that many of the threats were originating from overseas, aimed at causing unrest.
Harris expressed sympathy for the community, especially for the school children who were disrupted on what was supposed to be their school picture day. She described the situation as a “crying shame,” and lamented the harm caused by such inflammatory statements. “It’s exhausting, harmful, and rooted in old prejudices we should no longer tolerate,” she said, urging Americans to move forward and prevent Trump from holding the platform again.
Harris also mentioned briefly checking in with Trump after an alleged second assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, stating that she told him, as she has publicly, that political violence has no place in the country.
