How a false rumour about pets in Ohio and Laura Loomer's presence helped derail Trump's planned attacks on Harris

Republican presidential nominee former U.S. president Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Central Wisconsin Airport, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Mosinee, Wis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Donald Trump wanted to spend this week attacking one of Democratic rival Kamala Harris’ biggest political vulnerabilities. Instead, he spent most of the week falsely claiming that migrants are eating pets in a small town in Ohio and defending his embrace of a far-right agitator whose presence is causing concern among his allies.

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Trump’s repeated parroting of unfounded social media rumors about Haitian migrants in Ohio eating pets stole headlines during a trip West, including stops in Arizona and Nevada, late this week. The promotion of the claims overshadowed a series of speeches aimed at the economy and blaming Harris for border security failures.

Trump, in a news conference in California on Friday, promised “large deportations” from Springfield, Ohio — the town that has become a political flashpoint as Republicans, including Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD 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 Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and lawful residents to apply to have their family members from Haiti come 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 into the United States.

“It’s like an invasion from within and we’re going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country. And we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora.”

“The people of Ohio are scared,” he said. “It’s going to get worse. It’s going to get so bad. You know what we’re experiencing now is they’re just getting settled in.”

Trump reiterated the same themes later Friday at a rally in Las Vegas. “We are under invasion just like it was an army, except in many ways it’s more difficult because they don’t wear a uniform, you don’t know who the hell to go after,” he said.

Again bringing up both Springfield and Aurora, Trump continued, “I am your border president. From now on I want to be your border president.”

Why Trump wants to hit Harris on immigration

Republicans broadly believe that immigration and border security are a top political issue for the party – and one they can use to hammer Harris, who they have labeled U.S. President Joe Biden’s “border czar.” That label stems from Biden asking the U.S. vice president in 2021 to lead diplomacy with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to address the conditions that prompted their citizens to try to migrate to the United States.

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However, during Tuesday’s debate, Trump’s attacks on Harris over immigration veered into the outrageous, as he falsely claimed that migrants are eating dogs and cats in Springfield.

Trump’s remarks were met with a sharp condemnation from Biden.

“It’s simply wrong. And there’s no place in America. This has to stop – what he’s doing – has to stop,” Biden said during a Black Excellence brunch hosted at the White House Friday.

The city hall in Springfield was forced to close due to a bomb threat on Thursday. Two elementary schools were evacuated Friday in Springfield “based on information received from the Springfield Police Division,” the Springfield City School District announced Friday.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue on Thursday night urged national candidates – a clear reference to Trump and Vance – to “pay attention to what their 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 at our border,” he said.

Even Pope Francis on Friday sharply criticized Trump over his position on immigration, while also lambasting Harris for her support for abortion rights.

“To send migrants away, to leave them wherever you want, to leave them … it’s something terrible, there is evil there. To send away a child from the womb of the mother is an assassination, because there is life. We must speak about these things clearly,” the pope said.

Vance, Trump’s running mate, argued that Trump’s comments ignited conversation about immigration – even as he acknowledged on X the flimsiness of the rumors that ignited the story.

On Tuesday, Vance posted, “It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.” But the veracity of the claims did not seem to be his top concern.

“Don’t let biased media shame you into not discussing this slow moving humanitarian crisis in a small Ohio town. We should talk about it every single day. Kamala Harris did this. And she’ll keep doing it unless we stop her,” he posted on X on Friday.

Trump calls Loomer a 'free spirit'

The claims of pets and animals being eaten in Ohio was not the only eyebrow raising moment from this week that has put the focus on the former U.S. president’s campaign.

Trump has been spending time with far-right agitator Laura Loomer, who has spread conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack and shared racist comments on social media attacking Harris.

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Several people close to the former U.S. president say Loomer has contributed to some of the unseemly conspiracy theories Trump has elevated since Harris replaced Biden on the ticket, a change 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 “supporter.”

“She’s a strong person. She’s got strong opinions, and I don’t know what she said, but that’s not up to me. She’s a supporter,” Trump said.

Democratic National Committee 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’d expect for a convicted fraudster.”

Harris campaigns in Pennsylvania

Trump and Harris were back on the campaign trail late this week after a Tuesday night debate that 63 per cent of viewers said Harris won over Trump’s 37 per cent, according to a CNN poll of debate watchers conducted by SSRS.

The former president’s trip West came as Harris campaigned in Pennsylvania – the largest battleground of the 2024 election, with 19 electoral college votes up for grabs.

Combined, the commonwealth has already seen US$175 million spent on television ads – more than US$93 million by Democrats and more than US$81 million by Republicans, according to AdImpact data. Another US$136 million, including nearly US$77 million by Democrats and US$59 million by Republicans, has been booked between Saturday and Election Day. That’s more than has been spent, or reserved, in any other state.

Harris needs strong turnout in Democratic strongholds such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but also to minimize Trump’s margins as much as possible in red parts of the state. Her visit Friday focused on two counties Trump won during both of his White House bids – Cambria and Luzerne.

“Ultimately, I feel very strongly that we have to earn every vote and that means spending time with folks in the community where they live. That’s why I’m here. We’re going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania,” Harris told reporters at a bookstore in Johnstown on Friday.

CNN’s Kit Maher, Betsy Klein, Ebony Davis and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.