‘I told them these claims were baseless’: JD Vance shared lies about Ohio immigrants despite staffer knowing the truth

JD Vance didn’t just double, triple, quadruple (and on and on) down on the racist lies he’s been spreading about Haitian immigrants in Ohio out of ignorance, or even legitimate (if misinformed) concern. There’s proof he knew what he was doing.

The lie that Haitian migrants were eating pets in Springfield has been heavily peddled by Vance and Trump ever since Trump’s first (and possibly only) debate with Kamala Harris. Vance supported Trump in this line of propaganda, despite acknowledging that the statement could be false. Vance also blatantly mentioned that he was “willing to create stories so that the American media pays attention”—which he quickly tried to claim did not mean making things up, but what a chilling thing to hear from a man aiming to be of further political relevance. He might have argued that the quote about creating stories was taken out of context, but there’s proof that he was deliberate about this assault against the Haitian immigrant community.

According to CNN, a staffer for JD Vance reached out to Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck on September 9, 2024, which was prior to the debate where Trump’s remarks kicked things off. When asked to confirm about pets getting eaten or stolen, Heck told the staffer there was no verifiable evidence or reports. Yet, Vance backed up Trump on the claim, blatantly preying on racism and xenophobia for Republican gain with no concern for how that hurts real people.

A reflection of the Trump campaign

Vance is getting all the attention he wants, but at the cost of Springfield’s residents. He says that the stories come from “first-hand accounts” from his constituents, but the facts don’t agree with his story. He knows this and is deliberately spreading misinformation with Donald Trump. Their lies have put innocent people and children in danger, and yet both Trump and Vance refuse to be accountable for their incendiary remarks.

Amidst all this, Trump managed to shamelessly say that he wishes to visit Springfield—something both Ohio’s governor and Springfield’s mayor agree would be a strain on their resources. Meanwhile, despite Republican efforts to claim that Haitian immigrants are causing problems in Ohio whether or not this particular claim is true, even Ohio Republicans are asking Trump and Vance to stop these xenophobic attacks as their communities rally to support each other.

If there’s anything Vance’s actions made clear, it’s that there is no line he and Trump won’t cross for votes. In reality, the only problem in Ohio is that they need resources to support their flourishing communities—which should be a good thing—and these baseless attacks are not helping. To be honest is the least a person can offer before entering public office—a standard neither Vance nor Trump can fulfill.

Lie until it becomes the truth

Trump himself relied on a lie to undermine democracy on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn election results. Now, his running mate has proven to be the same kind of profuse liar. Vance and Trump’s denial of facts is an insult to the people they pretend to want to serve

Undeniably, it’s difficult to keep up with the news. People have jobs, and not everyone has the privilege to sit back and spend hours fact-checking. If they spew enough lies, those who are none the wiser will believe Trump and Vance’s every word because the truth will be difficult to find under their leadership. It also doesn’t help that Trump and Vance regularly antagonize and dismiss journalists and media outlets that correct their lies.

All it took for people to believe the rumors about Springfield were a couple of unrelated social media posts. Despite consistent efforts to refute these lies, the damage has already been done. Many people have already bought the lie, and no consequences have materialized for Trump and Vance over these egregious, made-up stories.