When a Lie Becomes a Bomb Threat: The Fallout of a Racist Conspiracy in Springfield

Trump and Vance’s baseless claims about pet-eating Haitian immigrants show how falsehoods spread for political gain can lead to real-world chaos.

The lie was absurd, and yet it spread like wildfire. A baseless rumor, claiming Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and eating people’s pets, began as a fringe social media post. In a matter of days, it had evolved into a talking point at the highest levels of Republican politics. Trump mentioned it in a presidential debate, and his r…