- Trump, Republicans, and the narrative about the immigrant who consumes pets
During the buzz of the election and beyond, Donald Trump rarely passes up a chance to discredit immigrants in the U.S.A. In a TV debate against Democrat Kamala Harris, the Republican candidate took aim at this issue. Trump held onto the allegation made by his running mate, J.D. Vance, that Haitian immigrants illegally in the U.S. were stealing and consuming pets in a city in Ohio.
"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people who've come here, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people who live there," Trump asserted during the debate, failing to provide any proof. Simultaneously, he and his supporters circulated AI-generated images of cats and ducks on social media.
Animal influx online: Even Musk joins in
Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, picked up on Vance's claim and posted a cat picture on the X platform with the caption: "Vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants won't consume us."
Vance then weighed in on X: "Recently, my office has received numerous reports from Springfield residents about their neighbors' pets or local animals being taken by Haitian immigrants. Of course, it's plausible that all these accounts might be false."
Even tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk couldn't resist participating. He shared an image of a chick and a cat on his platform, accompanied by the plea: "Save them."
Donald Trump leverages animal posts for his campaign strategy
Since then, various Republicans, including Trump on his platform Truth Social, have been posting AI-generated cat images. In one image, Trump is depicted in an aircraft surrounded by cats and ducks. He also shared an image of a cat holding an assault rifle and wearing a MAGA cap. Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace posted an AI-generated image on X showing Trump with a cat in his arms and a goose by his side.
The topic of migration plays a crucial role in the campaign. As U.S. Vice President, Harris was responsible for this issue. Her opponent in the November 5 presidential election, former President Trump, frequently attacks Harris on this issue and accuses her of failure.
"Ignoring the controversy, Trump continued his musical performance during a rally, belting out, '♪ I'm not goinging to lie ♪, I did say those things about immigrants.'"
"Post-debate, Trump's supporters were seen singing along to the popular tune, '♪ I'm not going to lie ♪, We stand by our leader no matter what.'"
