Donald Trump spawned a trending topic for all the wrong reasons after telling a racist lie that Haitian immigrants are eating people’s pets.
“THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS,” trended on X, formerly known as Twitter, as critics mocked the Republican nominee after the ABC News presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.
Trump actually said those four words during his lie-filled debate-stage meltdown.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” he said, as his opponent cracked up in disbelief. “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.”
He was referencing a baseless conspiracy theory that his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), had spread a day earlier about immigrants in the Ohio town.
The former president went there after Harris attacked him on a subject close to his heart: his rally crowds.
“I’m going to actually do something really unusual and I’m going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump’s rallies because it’s a really interesting thing to watch,” Harris said. “You will see during the course of his rallies he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about windmills cause cancer. And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.”
ABC News moderator David Muir asked Trump for his response to the earlier part of what Harris had been discussing, a border security bill she supported that Republicans tanked under Trump’s influence.
Trump didn’t speak about the bill at all, instead ranting that “people don’t leave my rallies” and fear-mongering at length about immigrants and eating pets.
Much mockery and face-palming ensued on social media.
“I can’t believe ‘they’re eating the dogs’ was a REBUTTAL to ‘You say weird stuff at your rallies,’” comedian Kylie Brakeman tweeted.
User @Scottcrates lauded Harris for her “genius move” baiting Trump with the rally swipe.
Scroll below for those reactions and more.
I can’t believe “they’re eating the dogs” was a REBUTTAL to “You say weird stuff at your rallies”
— Kylie Brakeman (@deadeyebrakeman) September 11, 2024
A little bait on rally attendance and boom “they’re eating the dogs!”
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) September 11, 2024
Has anyone ever won a debate by shouting “they’re eating the dogs”
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 11, 2024
