Another baseless claim in Trump’s post truth world this time — cat-eating Haitians!
The baseless claim of cat-eating Haitians have been used by the Trump campaign to create hypersalivation amongst their fanbase. Looking at a Springfield Ohio police report on the claim I was able to see an example of post truth happening in real time.
The Oxford Dictionaries 2016 word of the year was “post truth” described as: “Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
In the post truth world of Trump supporters it is imperative to try to verify everything. So, when I discovered the police report, dated 8 August, posted on the website of the right-wing policy group, Judicial Watch, based on Springfield resident Anna Kilgore’s accusations that her Haitian neighbours ate her cat, I emailed the Springfield Police to check the authenticity of the document. I received the reply, the same day that the police report was in fact genuine.
Two police officers Lykins, M and Dykes, J came out to speak to Kilgore on the day. The police report shows that Kilgore’s claims were unsubstantiated: “She thinks her neighbours stole her cat and chopped it up and have it in their backyard. […] the neighbours are Haitian, and she doesn’t know who they are. […] Lykins, M [police officer] spoke to Anna. She advised on 8-24-24 her cat went missing. Has not been seen since. She found “meat” in the backyard. Thinks it was from her cat. No bones or fur around the “meat”.
“She suspects the Haitian neighbours. No evidence to support this claim. Unknown if the meat she had was actually cat meat? Anna had collected the meat and put it in her fridge in hopes to get it cremated.”
Judicial Watch, the influential conservative group whose president Tom Fitton is an informal adviser to Donald Trump, posted an enlarged copy of a section of the report on their Facebook page. And even though the wording such as “thinks” “suspects” “doesn’t know who they are” “she suspects” and “no evidence to support this claim” were plain to see the post still attracted thousands of xenophobic comments condemning Haitians.
The unsubstantiated claims of course did also not stop JD Vance and Trump from spreading the false hate-filled rhetoric against Haitians which were based on many other baseless claims regarding Haitians eating pets and even other animals in the small Ohio city.
According to an investigation by the WSJ on 9 September, a staff member of Vance called Ohio City Hall to ask if the claims about the Haitians could be verified. In an interview the City Manager said: “He asked point-blank, ‘Are the rumours true of pets being taken and eaten?” recalled Heck. “I told him no. There was no verifiable evidence or reports to show this was true. I told them these claims were baseless.”
With Trump referring to the baseless claims again in his recent televised debate with Kamala Harris on 10 September, where the former president said: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
I was also sent another police report by the Springfield Police Department dated 30 August, that I have not found anywhere online, that states “She [Kilgore] found some type of skin in the trash. It is in the grocery bag. Some type of animal bones/skin.”
This is more than likely referring to Kilgore’s comments about finding unidentified meat in the 8 August report that states that that she thought her cat was chopped up in the neighbour’s backyard. And that it is “unknown if the meat she [Kilgore] had was actually cat meat. Anna had collected the meat and put it in her fridge in hopes to get it cremated.”
Kilgore’s missing cat, Ms Sassy, rather than being digested was in fact under her feet the whole time hiding in her own basement.
Kilgore is a true blue Trumpian however, what no one knows for sure if Ms Sassy, perhaps living up to her name with her impudent nature, is a Trump supporter who intentionally hid away to create the myth towards Haitians?
In the end Kilgore’s Haitian neighbours graciously accepted her apology after she stated “I wish I could take it all back” which is quite a different story to both JD Vance and Trump who are still peddling the lie.
“As we have seen time and time again from falsehoods about immigrants, the stealing of the vote to the birther conspiracy Trump relies on post truth as his strategy to boost his support.”
For these Trump supporters it would seem rather than taking responsibility for their own behaviour and lives it is easier to find someone else to blame for their misfortunes. And as Kilgore’s accusations proved once again, any story that “appeals to emotion and personal belief” will suffice no matter how baseless.
