Trump claims migrants are 'eating Americans' cats and dogs' during fiery presidential debate with Harris
11 September 2024, 05:24 | Updated: 11 September 2024, 06:41
Donald Trump made the extraordinary claim that migrants were eating Americans' pets during a hot-tempered US presidential debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.
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Republican Mr Trump said that Haitian immigrants in the state of Ohio were eating people's cats and dogs, in an echo of a previous claim made by his vice-presidential pick, JD Vance.
Local officials have said there is no evidence that the Haitians are eating anyone's pets.
During the debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Mr Trump said of immigrants in the town of Springfield: "They're eating the dogs. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there."
Ms Harris, the current Democrat vice-president, laughed and called him "extreme".
Read more: Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris moments after presidential debate with Donald Trump
The claims attracted attention this week when Mr Vance posted on social media that his office has "received many inquiries" about Haitian migrants abducting pets.
Mr Vance admitted on Tuesday it was possible "all of these rumours will turn out to be false."
While president from 2016-20202, Mr Trump asked why the US would accept people from "s****hole" countries such as Haiti, as well as some African countries.
His 2024 campaign has focused heavily on illegal immigration, often referencing in his speeches crimes committed by migrants.
The debate itself was filled with several false claims made by Trump on a range of key issues including abortion, crime and immigration that were corrected by the debate's moderators.
Both campaigns said afterwards that they were happy with their respective candidate’s performances.
The Trump campaign said: "President Trump delivered a masterful debate performance tonight, prosecuting Kamala Harris's abysmal record of failure that has hurt Americans for the last four years.
"The choice could not be more clear— President Trump was the clear winner tonight, and he will win for America when he returns to the White House."
Meanwhile a Harris campaign official simply said: "No spin needed after this one."
The debate was a chance for the two candidates to make a mark on the polling which has indicated a close-run contest following Harris’ nomination.
According to ABC’s national polling, Harris hit 47% during her party’s four-day convention in Chicago and it has remained at a similar level since, while Trump’s average has also remained relatively steady, hovering around 44%.
Taylor Swift endorsed Ms Harris immediately after the debate, calling her a "steady-handed, gifted leader".
