For Haitians, disparaging tropes repeated by Trump are met with pushback and heartbreak

Trump used the presidential debate to repeat unfounded claims that Haitian immigrants “are eating dogs and cats … eating people’s pets” in Springfield, Ohio.

During Tuesday’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump repeated unfounded claims that Haitian immigrants “are eating dogs and cats … eating people’s pets” in Springfield, Ohio. The assertion, echoing a growing narrative in right-wing media, reminded Carmine Simon Smith of other false accusations from the 1980s and ’90s that Haitian people were at a higher risk of spreading HIV.

“The fact that Donald Trump wants to double down on something so ridiculous just breaks my heart again,” Smith said. “It’s disparaging of a race of people. We are always getting dragged and put as the inferior poster children of what not to be. I’m very disappointed and heartbroken.”

At the same time, this is a moment not only to vigorously dispel “a despicable lie,” but also to illuminate “the beauty of our country and our people. We are hard-working, loving people who add value to communities,” said Smith, a technology company project manager in Atlanta who was one of several Haitians interviewed by NBC News. “Most of us or our parents started with very little and built up our lives, which helps build communities.”

In recent weeks, influential public figures like Trump; Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Trump’s running mate; and other conservative figures have spread the rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are stealing people’s domestic pets and eating them. Local police and the city manager have repeatedly said there is no evidence of the claim.

The rumor follows years of insults hurled at Haitians and Haitian Americans, including unfounded claims of cannibalism, and Trump’s hostility toward Haitian immigrants during his administration. In 2018, he referred to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as “s---hole countries” speaking to senators at the White House.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/-trump-haitians-tropes-pushback-debate-ohio-rcna170679

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