Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump flooded the web site previously often called Twitter with photos of cats and geese on Monday. What prompted this sudden love for animals in a neighborhood identified for its sadism and hatred for all issues nice? It seems, they had been responding to an extremely racist hoax began on Fb and amplified by Trump’s working mate JD Vance.

“Months in the past, I raised the problem of Haitian unlawful immigrants draining social providers and customarily inflicting chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote on X Monday morning. “Reviews now present that individuals have had their pets kidnapped and eaten by individuals who shouldn’t be on this nation. The place is our border czar?”

Vance’s tweet has racked up 2 million views and counting on the time of this writing.

Months in the past, I raised the problem of Haitian unlawful immigrants draining social providers and customarily inflicting chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio.

Reviews now present that individuals have had their pets kidnapped and eaten by individuals who should not be on this nation. The place is our border czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024

What are these “studies” that Vance is citing? It ought to be no shock that the studies are full rubbish cooked up on Fb. An account known as the Calvin Coolidge Venture shared a screenshot of the Fb publish on Sunday evening, which helped ignite the hoax story the next day.

🚨Report: Springfield Ohio residents are warning their pets and wildlife like geese and geese are being eaten by Haitians

One neighbor stated she noticed her cat being carved up by the Haitians. One other neighbor stated a police officer advised her that is taking place to canines, geese and geese pic.twitter.com/vANFMqUAzM

— The Calvin Coolidge Venture (@TheCalvinCooli1) September 9, 2024

The Fb publish, which seems to have proven up in some Springfield, Ohio group, is a type of idiotic “good friend of a good friend of a good friend” tales that’s by no means truly true:

Warning to all about our beloved pets & these round us!! My neighbor knowledgeable me that her daughters good friend had misplaced her cat. She checked pages, kennels, requested round, and so on. In the future she got here dwelling from work, as quickly as she stepped out of her automotive, regarded in the direction of a neighbors home, the place Haitians dwell, & noticed her cat hanging from a department, such as you’d do a deer for butchering, & they had been carving it as much as eat. I’ve been advised they’re doing this to canines, they’ve been doing it at snyder park with the geese & geese, as I used to be advised that final bit by Rangers & police. Please hold a detailed eye on these animals

The tweet that shared the Fb publish additionally included a photograph of a man holding a goose which had nothing to do with the publish however seems to be the place the declare that immigrants are killing and consuming geese got here from. Because the Washington Submit identified, the picture wasn’t taken in Springfield and there’s no proof the person is from Haiti or an immigrant.

Springfield Police launched an announcement Monday morning saying they don’t have any studies of stolen pets which might be being eaten. And whereas silly lies and rumors about immigrants to the U.S. doing weird issues didn’t begin with the invention of the web, social media has definitely made it simpler for this stuff to unfold shortly.

There was a report of a 27-year-old girl in Canton, Ohio who allegedly killed and tried to eat a part of a cat final month, in keeping with Fox Information. And lots of far-right influencers linked to that story on Monday as supposed proof of their silly story. However there’s no proof the girl was an immigrant from Haiti, regardless of what far-right influencers insist. People simply do extraordinarily gross stuff generally.

Far-right accounts inundated X with AI photos of Trump saving geese and cats, generally whereas carrying weapons. It’s a typical aesthetic alternative that’s truly very humorous given the truth that Trump is such a feeble coward in actual life.

Haters will say that is AI. pic.twitter.com/Tt3VTi7r6h

— Steve 🇺🇸 (@SteveLovesAmmo) September 9, 2024

Tech oligarch Elon Musk even contributed to the dialogue on his social media platform X with a heart-filled emoji of 1 significantly ridiculous AI picture exhibiting Trump hugging a duck and a cat.

🥰 https://t.co/b2NIbLkgIL

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024

Musk additionally wrote in one other tweet “Vote for Kamala if you would like this to occur to your neighborhood!” whereas quote-tweeting a video of Harris speaking about immigration. The account Musk was quote-tweeting repeated the lie that Haitians had been destroying a city in Ohio and “reportedly kill and eat peoples pets” whereas “Kamala Harris” was “bragging about permitting them to flood into our nation.” Simply vile and racist lies throughout, clearly.

Vote for Kamala if you would like this to occur to your neighborhood! https://t.co/TfR8ekmFAZ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024

Trump’s on-line fast response staff on X, often called Trump Conflict Room, doubled down on the racism with, “President Trump will deport migrants who eat pets. Kamala Harris will ship them to your city subsequent. Make your alternative, America.”

It ought to be no shock that Trump and Vance are attempting to throw something on the wall and see what sticks. They’re flailing in a manner that Trump’s marketing campaign was not again when President Joe Biden was the nominee. Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and Harris stepped in, immediately making up the deficit Biden had struggled with towards Trump within the polls.

The race is now a useless warmth, with Harris performing nicely in many of the battleground states, which is exactly why Trump and Vance are going to attempt something proper now to defeat her. Racist memes about immigrants coming to eat your cat are in all probability simply the opening salvo. When Harris’s working mate Tim Walz helped popularize the label of Vance and Trump as “bizarre,” the Republicans had no concept find out how to reply. A joke about Vance having intercourse with couches became a meme that Republicans on-line responded to by making an attempt to say Walz should drink horse semen. In making an attempt to answer a goofy absurdist joke, they made it bizarre. As a result of they all the time do.

There’s no telling how low they’ll go along with absurd lies as we get nearer to Election Day on November 5. However you possibly can wager it’s going to get weirder earlier than it will get higher.