During the presidential debate, the Republican candidate had relayed false rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets. On Tuesday, residents of Springfield and the surrounding area voted 64% in favor of Donald Trump.
Despite the false rumors, Springfield and the surrounding area don’t seem to hold a grudge against Trump. Located in the state of Ohio, in the heart of the Midwest, this town of 60,000 souls found itself in the spotlight on September 10. During the televised debate with Kamala Harris, Donald Trump accused the Haitian community of “eating” the pets of local residents. An accusation based essentially on an erroneous Facebook post, as shown here the American fact-checking site Politifact . The residents of Clark County, of which Springfield is the county seat, were no less enthusiastic about the Republican candidate. The first results published by the county show that Donald Trump would collect more than 64% of the vote this Wednesday.
Since September 10, the date of the American presidential debateSpringfield was confronted with a wave of threats and bomb threats. An outburst that Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, regretted, in the columns of New York Times . “As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by the way they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and denigrate legal migrants living in Springfield.”
Between 2020 and 2024, Republicans widen the gap in Clark County
Not only does the controversy seem to have had no influence on the vote of Clark County residents, but, on the contrary, the gap has widened slightly in favor of the Republicans. In 2020, 37% of residents voted for Joe Biden.compared with 34% for Kamala Harris in 2024. At this stage, it’s still difficult to verify whether this dispute over Springfield’s pets has affected turnout. The figures released by the county are not yet official.
There are no precise figures for the number of Haitian immigrants living in Springfield. According to CNNBetween 10,000 and 12,000 Haitians live in Clark County. Most of them live under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), introduced by the Biden administration. Many have fled the ultra-violent gangs that are rampant in Haiti, even going so far as to flee their homes. assassinate the island’s president in 2021.