Reality Check is a Herald series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at [email protected].

Former President Donald Trump amplified a debunked claim Tuesday night during his first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitian immigrants have abducted and eaten people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio, apparently endorsing a falsehood that has been shot down by city officials.

“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. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame,” Trump said.

As Trump made the claim, Harris laughed, threw her head back, and asked, “What? This is unbelievable.”

Trump’s remarks about the falsehood — which has been promoted by his campaign and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance — thrust the claim further into public view. There is no evidence to backup the claim, and a spokesperson for the City of Springfield said in a statement that officials had received “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

In response to Trump’s comments, ABC News anchor David Muir, one of the debate’s co-moderators, noted that Springfield’s city manager had debunked the claim about migrants eating local pets. Trump dismissed that account, saying that he had...

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