The White House has condemned debunked stories being pushed by Donald Trump about migrants stealing and eating cats and dogs in Ohio as "filth" and said they were endangering people's lives.
The small city of Springfield, Ohio has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days after an unfounded story of Haitian migrants eating pets went viral on social media, with the Republican ex-president and current White House candidate pushing the narrative despite it being unfounded.
Democrats have accused Trump and his running mate, Ohio senator, of fanning racial tensions as they use the Springfield conspiracy theory to elevate immigration as a campaign issue ahead of November's election.
Despite local officials saying they had received no credible reports of pets being stolen and eaten, Trump repeated the claim .
"It is spreading filth that makes the lives of the communities that are being smeared here ... it puts their lives in danger," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday.
A government building and school in Springfield were evacuated on Thursday after an alleged bomb threat.
"Due to a bomb threat that was issued to multiple facilities throughout Springfield today, City Hall is closed today," a post on the municipal government's Facebook page said.
"City officials were alerted to this threat via an email message this morning at 8.24 am. The email was sent to multiple agencies and media outlets," it added.
Fulton Elementary School was also evacuated on Thursday, though it was not immediately clear if it was related to the same bomb threat.
Arriving at the school to retrieve his child, Haitian immigrant Mackenso Roseme told AFP that the current tensions in the community were "worrying".
"I'm a little stressed. I think something might happen," he said.
The bomb threat came from someone claiming to be from Springfield and mentioned Haitian immigration issues, the local Springfield News-Sun newspaper reported mayor Rob Rue as saying.
Despite the bomb threats, Trump was still reposting memes related to the conspiracy theory hours later on his Truth Social platform.
He said Ohio was being "inundated with illegal migrants, mostly from Haiti, who are taking over towns and villages at a level and rate never seen before".
Springfield, with a population of about 58,000, has seen an increase in Haitian immigrants in recent years — 10,000 to 15,000, according to the Springfield News-Sun.
Social services, schools and housing have been stressed in the city for years, with some pointing to migration as a factor.
Ohio father tells Trump to stop invoking his son's death
The father of a Springfield boy killed in a crash caused by a Haitian migrant driver last year has implored Trump and other politicians to stop invoking his son's name.
Eleven-year-old Aiden Clark was killed when a minivan driven by a Haitian migrant veered into a school bus in August 2023. The driver was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
Trump and Vance's campaigns have both referenced Aiden's death and the driver's identity in online posts this week, connecting the incident to immigration.
Aiden's father Nathan Clark spoke at a Springfield City Council hearing on the same day Trump repeated his debunked claims about the Haitian community in Springfield during his debate with Harris.
"My son Aiden Clark was not murdered," he said, refuting a claim posted on social media by Vance. "He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti."
"They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members.
"However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.
"This needs to stop now," he added. "I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies."
Will there be another Harris v Trump debate?
On Thursday, Trump announced that he would not participate in another televised debate with Harris before the 5 November election.
"There will be no third debate!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform, including in his tally his June head-to-head with US President Joe Biden.
Harris, meanwhile, told supporters at a rally in North Carolina that she believed voters were owed another debate.
