Former President Donald Trump said during a Wednesday rally that he would travel to Springfield, Ohio, the focal point of unsubstantiated claims targeting Haitian migrants, “in the next two weeks.”
“I’m going to go there in the next two weeks. I’m going to Springfield and I’m going to Aurora,” Trump said during a rally in Uniondale, New York.
The visit to the beleaguered Ohio city of Springfield would come as Trump has pushed baseless claims about Haitian migrants there eating pets, a false claim that has been repeatedly debunked. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, and the ticket’s allies have also spread the lie.
The former president’s reference to Aurora, Colorado, comes as he has repeatedly spread debunked rumors related to Venezuelans in the city.
Social media posts spread online, falsely claiming that a Venezuelan gang took over an apartment complex, though local officials denied the false rumors. Trump has repeatedly invoked both Springfield and Aurora during his rallies.
“You may never see me again, but that’s okay. Got to do what I got to do,” Trump added. “‘Whatever happened to Trump?’ ‘Well, he never got out of Springfield.'”
Mayor Rob Rue of Springfield, a Republican, said during a news conference on Tuesday that a visit from Trump “would be an extreme strain on our resources.”
“So it’d be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit,” he added.
NBC News has previously reported that Trump planned to visit Springfield “soon.”
As Trump, Vance and their allies repeatedly spread false claims about the city, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said that at least 33 bomb threats have been made in Springfield. The Republican governor said that some of them are coming from “one particular country,” though he declined to name the country.
The president of the Haitian Community Support Center in Springfield told NBC News that the conspiracy theory has made Haitians “scared for their lives.”
The former president has spread false claims about Haitian migrants at his rallies and during the September debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said, falsely, during the debate. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
Springfield officials said there are “no credible reports” to support the claim.
NBC News has reached out to the Trump campaign for further information about the former president’s plans for a trip.
