Trump pushes baseless claim of migrants eating pets, Harris fires back

During a debate, Former President Donald Trump referenced an unfounded claim that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been eating house pets.

“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said.

Moderator David Muir quickly intervened, noting that Springfield’s city manager reported no evidence to support this claim.

In response, the former president insisted, “Well, I’ve seen people on television saying, ‘my dog was taken and used for food.'”

Vice President Kamala Harris opened her rebuttal by calling Trump’s claim “extreme.” Springfield officials also confirmed to BBC Verify that there have been “no credible reports” of such incidents.

Harris then delivered some of her strongest criticisms of Trump to date, accusing him of frequently discussing topics that have nothing to do with actual policy.

“It’s a really interesting thing to watch,” she remarked, suggesting that he talks about “fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter.”

She went further, saying that the former president’s rallies leave people “exhausted and bored,” with many attendees leaving early.

Trump, in turn, claimed that “no one” attends Harris’s rallies.

On immigration, Harris highlighted her experience as “the only person on this stage” to have prosecuted smugglers.

She again placed the blame for border issues squarely on Trump, accusing him of sabotaging a bipartisan border security bill.

“You know what happened? Donald Trump got on the phone to some folks in Congress and said, ‘kill the bill.’ Why? Because he preferred to run on a problem instead of solving it.”

Harris concluded by reiterating her critique of Trump’s rally rhetoric, repeating that his supporters often leave due to “exhaustion and boredom.”