Trump's outburst in last week's debate has continued to dominate the political discussion in the USA. The Republican vice presidential candidate J D Vance defended Trump's statement in an interview with CNN:
They (the reports) are firsthand reports from voters. I'm saying we're forming a narrative, and I mean that we're conveying something that the American media can focus on, said Vance without being able to refer to any sources.
Vance, who like Trump previously pointed out Haitian migrants as guilty, thereby reinforced the rumor-mongering that has a remarkable background.
Social Media
It started with Springfield resident Erika Lee's neighbor having told her that a friend's cat had been attacked by a migrant from Haiti. Lee wrote a long post on Facebook to warn her friends.
"One day she came home from work and as soon as she stepped out of the car, she looked towards her neighbor's house, where Haitians live, and saw her cat hanging from a branch, as if you would hang up a deer for slaughter, and they cut it open to eat", she wrote and continued:
"I've heard that they also do it to dogs and to ducks and geese in Snyder Park."
"Just Exploded"
Since the post – which according to both the police and the city administration in Springfield is completely unfounded – got spin, schools in the city have had to close due to bomb threats and Haitian migrants have felt increasingly vulnerable.
Today, Erika Lee is remorseful, reports NBC News. That the post would reach all the way to Donald Trump and other top Republicans was something she could never have imagined.
It just exploded, says the 35-year-old and emphasizes that she "is not a racist".
I feel for the Haitians. If I were in their shoes, I would also be terrified.
Trump Continues
Lee's neighbor Kimberly Newton tells Newsguard, a site that monitors online disinformation, that she "has no evidence" that the rumor she spread is true. She heard it from a friend of a friend, who in turn heard the rumor from "a source she had".
I don't know if I'm the most reliable source since I actually don't know the person who lost the cat, says Newton.
Trump, in turn, claims that he will carry out "large deportations" from Springfield if he becomes president again.
We're going to get these people out, said the presidential candidate on Friday to reporters in Los Angeles.
