If you laughed at Trump’s racist claim that Haitian immigrants are “eating the dogs,” then you missed the message. Because it wasn’t meant for you. Here’s what many of us missed.
How it started
The first rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets emerged in early September 2024. According to Newsguard, a media watchdog that monitors for misinformation online, a resident of Springfield, Ohio, posted in an obscure private Facebook group that someone saw their Haitian neighbors had strung up their missing cat and were “carving it up to eat.”
This bizarre and baseless claim was picked up by conservative influencers on September 5. Then it was amplified by vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance and spewed from the mouth of Donald Trump at the presidential debate on Sept. 10.
How it’s going
Like a virus that jumps species at lightning speed, this vicious, racist lie about Haitian immigrants has now taken over our social discourse and resulted in threats against Haitians in Springfield and across the U.S. By Sept. 13, two Springfield public schools were evacuated and one closed down due to bomb threats.
As I was writing this on Sunday, September 15, Wittenburg University in Springfield had to cancel all activities because of people threatening to shoot Haitian citizens and set off car bombs.
How could anyone take this seriously?
Trump’s and Vance’s lies about Haitian immigrants are so ridiculous that any reasonable person would react with shock and guffaws upon hearing it. This is what Kamala Harris did when she heard Trump hurl these baseless accusations against immigrants during the debate. The look of surprise and then pity and then laughter was understandable.
Indeed, the notion has become a meme, a joke, and a viral cultural witticism that even President Biden shared with a Trump supporter.
But while we were laughing and making silly videos poking fun at Trump and Vance for the absurd claims, we were missing the point.
What was the point of the hoax?
Some have pointed out that Trump’s words were merely a red herring, a distraction from his disastrous debate performance. There’s even a name for this tactic.
It’s called the Dead Cat Strategy.
The “Dead Cat Strategy” is a rhetorical tactic intended to distract people from one’s failures and problems. When you throw a dead cat on the table, it’s the only thing people can talk about.
Yes, it’s outrageous, which is why it’s so effective. When all the oxygen in the room is taken up by talking about dead cats, there’s not as much attention available for focusing on the dangers of Project 2025, Trump’s plan for a chrisofascist takeover of the U.S. government if he is reelected.
But that’s not the only reason for Trump and Vance doubling down on perpetuating the hoax about Haitian immigrants.
Whenever people like Stephen Miller or Vance or Trump and their minions want to rile up the base, they need only stoke fears about foreigners raping or killing children. And now they’ve added a new twist to the trope – they’re eating the dogs and cats. And the geese at the park.
Case in point, the Proud Boys, a far-right hate group, have been spotted in Springfield, along with this flyer:
The flyer
It’s worth taking a moment to analyze this flyer. Because this artifact tells us who the real audience was for Trump’s and Vance’s message about Haitian immigrants.
First, notice the lettering.
The words are written in what’s called Blackletter or Franktur font.
Yes, it’s the same typeface used by Nazis at Hitler’s behest. According to Wired magazine, fonts are helping to fuel today’s culture wars, especially among radical right-wing groups. The visual reference to Nazi lettering is intended to create fear and dread among immigrants. But for today’s fascists, it is meant to evoke a sense of awe, strength, and power.
Then, notice that it’s not just Haitians who are targeted. They want all “foreigners” out. This means that anyone who is not White is under threat.
And take note of the way “foreigners” are described.
They are “filth” and “beast [sic] of the fields.” In other words, they are subhuman, animals, and dirt all at the same time. In addition, “3rd World Countries Brings [sic] 3rd World Diseases.”
Fear-mongering all around. Correct spelling and grammar, not so much.
Notice, as well, that they call for “mass deportation.”
This is exactly what was written on signs held up by thousands of people at the Republican National Convention in July. They are literally calling for ethnic cleansing and concentration camps.
A call to arms
Then, on the left in red font is this warning (not fully visible in the picture): “Arm yourselves as Americans. Protect your families, friends, and pets.” So, the foreigners are beasts eating pets? Got it.
This is an effective tactic to hook the emotions of those who are easily baited by conspiracy theories. The message is: poor, defenseless animals who you love are being eaten by these beasts. Arm yourselves and go shoot them before they abduct your beloved pets and eat them.
But all of this is merely the lead-up to the real purpose of the flyer.
About two-thirds of the way down is a call to “Join us and stand against forced immigration.” Who is the “us”?
Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
In other words, this is a recruitment flyer.
This means that one aspect of Trump’s and Vance’s lies about Haitian immigrants is to draw disaffected White people into far-right terrorist organizations. What many people do not realize is that groups like the KKK, Proud Boys, and others are actually competing with each other for new recruits. And they are fully intent on serving as Trump’s militia if he is reelected.
Blood libel
Accusations of Haitian immigrants stringing up pets and slaughtering them are a form of blood libel. This type of canard has been used for thousands of years to gin up ire against a hated group. Whether it was against Christians accused of eating actual bodies and drinking blood in the first century, or Jews in Europe in antisemitic attacks, the intention and effect is the same. Accuse a group of committing heinous crimes against children or beloved animals, and you will compel a certain segment of the population to join your group that promises to give them agency against the threat.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are currently 1,430 hate and antigovernment groups across the U.S. They are all competing for the attention, money, and human resources of a limited pool of possible recruits.
If you look at the SPLC map of hate groups in the U.S., you’ll see there is a cluster of them round the border between Ohio and Kentucky. And where are the Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan based? Maysville, Kentucky, right on the border with Ohio.
As a resident of Kentucky, I’m well aware of the history of the KKK in this state. So this doesn’t surprise me at all.
But it worries me a great deal, because there are people in this state who are receptive to a flyer such as this one.
How big is the pool of recruits for hate groups?
Public Religion Research Institute estimates that approximately 30% of Americans are agree with Christian nationalist ideology. Twenty percent of them are “Sympathizers” – they agree with the ideals but do not yet act on them. Ten percent are “Adherents” – people who would take up arms in defense of their “way of life.”
While that number may seem small, it is not insignificant. And recruiters know that there are Sympathizers out there who, with the right hoax to activate them, will join a hate group that will arm them and send them into communities like Springfield to instill fear, destroy property, and even kill.
So, if you thought those ridiculous claims about Haitian immigrants were funny, then they were not meant for you.
They were meant for the legions of people in Trump’s army who are standing back and standing by, just waiting for their orders on who to strike next.
Stochastic terrorism
This is what’s known as stochastic terrorism, a form of political violence instigated by hostile public rhetoric directed at a group or an individual.
It doesn’t matter if the story is a complete fabrication that has been swiftly debunked by officials in Springfield. In his own words, Vance said (minute mark 1:30) “What do I think is a bigger problem? Insulting 20,000 immigrants? Or the fact that my constituents can’t live a good life?”
There you have it. It’s all about defending his (White) constituents “good life.”
And if he has to lie and amplify hoaxes about Haitian immigrants, all to the good.
As Vance himself has admitted, the point is to “create stories” in order to get the “American media” to pay attention to “the suffering of the American people.”
Never mind that he has created actual suffering for American people who happen to have been born in or descended from families in Haiti. Because in Trump’s and Vance’s America, those people do not count. They do not deserve to live in peace. The only solution is to kill them or deport them. This is Hitler’s “final solution” intended for American soil.
So what do we do?
First, stop repeating the jokes and sharing the memes about Haitian immigrants.
Or any immigrants for that matter (because there will undoubtedly be more to come). There are real and harmful consequences for perpetuating this hoax, even in jest.
Second, call it out when you see it.
When you hear friends, family, or co-workers repeating these jokes or rumors, explain to them what they’re doing and why it is a problem. It’s not only racist and xenophobic, but it’s also doing the work of the hate groups. Don’t carry their water for them.
Third, educate yourself and others about immigrants from other countries.
Learn about the history, culture, language, customs, religions, foods, and gifts that immigrants bring to our country. Cultivate an appreciation of who they are, the challenges they’ve faced, and the rich cultural and economic revitalization they bring to a community.
Third, support your local immigrant communities.
Patronize their businesses. Befriend them. Invite them to community events. Volunteer with local or religious-based immigration and refugee resettlement programs. Because, yes, when they come here, they have to have their basic needs met. Put yourself in their shoes. Empathize. And then build bridges of respect, welcome, integration, and appreciation.
Finally, vote your values.
If you are part of the 70% of Americans who do not sympathize with hate groups and racist ideology, make your voice heard at the ballot box. Vote for the candidates who reflect your values with their policies, their words, and their behavior.
The message from Trump, Vance, and the hate groups of America is loud and clear.
Our message of compassion, appreciation, and respect must be even louder and clearer.
Read also:
Kentucky, We Need to Talk About Our White Supremacist Problem
Pastoring During (and After) the Coup: Staying Alert, Telling the Truth
Preaching the 2024 Election Season: Sermon Ideas, Oct. 6, 13
Preaching 2024 Election – How will Clergy Navigate Issues?
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky and ordained in the ELCA. Dr. Schade does not speak for LTS or the ELCA; her opinions are her own. She is the author of Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). She is the co-editor of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Her newest book is Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation, co-authored with Jerry L. Sumney and Emily Askew (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).
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