Donald Trump has doubled down on baseless claims that immigrants in Ohio abducted and ate pets.

The Republican candidate’s campaign and running mate, JD Vance, amplified the rumors, likely to perpetuate the anti-immigrant rhetoric, that their campaign has been based around. The campaign claimed that Haitian immigrants that had been living undocumented in the state of Ohio, had stolen and eaten local people’s pets.

Tonight, at the presidential debate, Trump doubled down on the claims, despite being told by the mediator that the claims were totally baseless.

As the rumors emerged earlier in the week, officials assured there have been no credible or detailed reports about the claims.

During the debate, Trump said: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats.”

The mediator quoted the Springfield City Manager who said that there is no evidence to back up the rumors. Donald Trump clapped back, insisting that the rumors have been highly publicized, and therefore must be true.

On X, @valkalrie wrote: “I am actually from this area. the people sensationalizing this is wild. the police have even come forward and said “this is not happening, there’s no reports of stolen pets being eaten”