Trump, GOP fuel conspiracy theories: Eating pets, a rigged debate and QAnon

Donald Trump latched onto a new false claim before a prime-time debate audience of 67 million people: Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating people's pets. He defended his inaccurate assertions that he won the 2020 election and that Kamala Harris misrepresented her racial identity. The next day he went to memorials for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer - who last year shared a video declaring the assault an "inside job" and more recently helped spread baseless allegations that Harris got forbidden debate tips through high-tech pearl earrings.By the end of the week - with some of his allies squirming - Trump was pushing the idea, too."I hear she got the questions," Trump of Harris at his Friday night rally in Las Vegas, suggesting his opponent had the debate topics in advance. "And I also hear she had something in the ear, a little something in the ear. 'No Kamala, do this - say it this way Kamala.'"Led by Trump, Republicans have increasingly embraced groundless allegations that were once relegated to the political fringes, ensuring they are part of the party's message to voters in the final, critical months of this year's election. Their approach has been on vivid display lately, from the debate stage in Philadelphia to other high-profile public appearances to social media - where false information has spread quickly and Trump has been posting a stream of artificial intelligence-generated images of himself with pets supposedly under threat. In the process, they have perpetuated pernicious stereotypes about immigrants and others that critics have called dangerous.More than a decade after launching his political career with the baseless allegations that Barack Obama was not born the U.S., the former president and his allies continue to spout meritless tales that find a wide audience on the right - despite renewed objections from conservatives who call it unproductive.Even some of Trump's staunchest allies in Congress were aghast at Loomer's appearances with Trump, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) saying he hopes "this problem gets resolved." Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Friday called Loomer a "crazy conspiracy theorist" and declared that a "DNC plant couldn't do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump's chances of winning reelection.""Enough," he pleaded.Trump defended Loomer at a Friday news conference. Hours later, he wrote in a post on Truth Social: "I disagree with the statements she made but, like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the Radical Left Marxists and Fascists violently attack and smear me."Even as some Republicans suggested that Trump instead focus his attention on substantively discussing matters where the party has a clear political advantage, many GOP leaders dodged questions about the Haitian immigrant claims, and a few prominent Republicans placed the blame on Trump and his history of pushing false, fringe notions into the mainstream."If you're on the ballot this fall, you have to be nervous about this type of distraction," said former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump in the 2024 primaries. He said outlandish claims such as the viral, debunked rumor about pet-eating Haitians "undermine the substance" of the issue Republicans want to press - in this case, immigration."Conspiracy theories have been around a long time," he said. "But the difference is that you have leaders embracing conspiracy theories rather than responding with the truth."Asked about Trump's promotion of false claims, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt sought to change focus to policy issues."President Trump is running on an optimistic vision for the future to make America strong, safe, and prosperous again by securing the border, cutting taxes, bringing down inflation, and restoring peace around the world, like there was during his first term," Leavitt said in a statement.One of the most attention-grabbing assertions circulating on the right centers on the town of Springfield, Ohio, where a wave of dehumanizing social media posts asserted that Haitian immigrants there were killing and eating people's pets. After Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), elevated the claim - saying he had reports from constituents but that, "it's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false" - police officials said there is no evidence to support the notion. But Trump repeated it in Tuesday night's presidential debate, saying immigrants in Springfield are "eating the dogs" and "eating the cats."Springfield, with a population of roughly 60,000, has had an influx of an estimated 15,000-20,000 Haitians who were granted temporary protective status in the United States ever since the country was overtaken by gang violence and chaos. But while parts of the town's economy have been boosted by the immigrant workforce, other services have strained to accommodate the expanded population. After Trump repeated the unsubstantiated smear from the debate stage, a bomb threat used "hateful language" toward Haitians and targeted city hall and other buildings in the city, including an elementary school, according to the mayor.As the pet-eating claims jumped from social media to Vance to Trump himself, some Republicans aired their frustrations publicly. They suggested their party was too beholden to false allegations that resonate with a hardcore swath of the base but confuse or appall other Americans."JUST GOT TRUMP TO REPEAT YOUR LIE ABOUT THE PETS," read one profanity-laced message the conservative commentator Erick Erickson posted on social media. "CONGRATS ON SETTING THE NEWS STORIES TOMORROW BY LYING SO TRUMP PICKS IT UP." Trump, Erickson said in another post, "gets what he deserves … surrounded by crazy people who say crazy things."Trump's allies in Congress were once again put on the spot. Ahead of the debate on Tuesday, as Vance took up the pet-eating rumors, Sen. Rick Scott (R) - who is running for reelection in Florida, home to many Haitians - told HuffPost, "I've got a wonderful experience with Haitians in my state." After the debate, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) walked away from reporters when they began to ask about Trump's performance."I don't respond to quotes," Rep. John Duarte told online news site NOTUS when asked about the Springfield issue, before adding that he "wouldn't have said it."Still, many others defended Trump's comments. Darrell Scott, an Ohio-based pastor and longtime Trump supporter who is helping with Black voter outreach, pointed to a resident's call to police alleging they saw Haitian migrants carrying geese and said Democrats have previously discounted claims that end up having merit.Trump "has a history of saying things that people discounted initially," Scott said. When Trump says something, he added, "I take his word."David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who now supports Harris, said the claims' quick spread on the right reflects "the currency of the anti-immigrant movement in this country.""How did we get to Haitians eating dogs? Its all rooted in that," he said. "It's a simple reflection of where their politics are."With polls showing Trump holding a clear advantage on immigration, some Republicans have suggested that there are numerous other, more effective avenues for raising the issue. "There are plenty of things to talk about - including the overwhelming impact that some communities are having on their community services. That impact is undeniable. Other things are a distraction," said former Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri.Trump on Friday brushed off concerns about his decision to amplify the false claims about Haitians. "The real threat is what's happening at our border," he told reporters at a news conference.When it comes to Loomer, Trump has praised and amplified her on social media throughout his campaign, at one point sharing her false statement that Harris's birth certificate shows she is "lying about being Black." (The document Loomer shared accurately lists Harris's father as "Jamaican" - which does not mean she is not Black. Harris is Black and Indian American.)Trump on Friday defended Loomer as "strong person" with "strong opinions." Asked at the news conference about her comments about 9/11 as well as recent racist remarks about Harris, Trump said he would try to learn more and issue a statement."I don't control Laura," Trump said. "Laura has to say what she wants. She's a free spirit."Asked for comment on Friday, Loomer said she did not believe the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were an "inside job" when she shared a video with that phrase.The former president also recently shared posts with explicit nods to QAnon, a baseless conspiracy theory that has gained particular traction among his supporters and casts Trump as a savior fighting shadowy forces - often Democrats or societal elites - who sex-traffic children. The crowds at Trump rallies are dotted with Q references: A "We the Q People" T-shirt, a license plate with the QAnon slogan "WWG1WGA."Meanwhile, Republicans have rallied behind Trump's allegations of vast government conspiracies to thwart him, including Trump's frequent, unsubstantiated accusation that Biden and Harris are behind his criminal prosecutions. Some have claimed without evidence that Democrats are illegally registering undocumented immigrants to vote; Trump said at Tuesday's debate that "people are trying to get them to vote, and that's why they're allowing them into our country."Zachary Mueller, research director at America's Voice - which advocates for a path to citizenship for undocumented people - said anti-immigrant conspiracy theories are "no longer coming from kooks in the basement.""What's new is how mainstream all of this is," he said. "What's new is how central it is to the presidential campaign."Although conspiracy theories and false statements have long been present in campaigns, Trump's candidacy for president ushered in an era defined by powerful political myths that bound him to his followers, experts say."Politicians who want greater control over the electorate need to get their followers on board and they can do that by getting them to deny what they see with their own eyes," said Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor of sociology who studies the rise and fall of constitutional governments at Princeton. "How do they do that? They tell people what to believe and then they attack the institutions that would normally be a source of truthful information."Trump supporters regularly echo the former president's false statements at his rallies. But some are eager to focus elsewhere. When Joanne Pierce, who is Native American, repeated the inaccurate claim that Harris isn't Black at a rally for Vance this summer, her white friend Linda Jenkins tried to intervene."Listen to me. Half of her is Asian because she comes from India and the other half is Jamaican," Jenkins said as they sat together in Glendale, Ariz. She asked if Pierce, 69, had seen pictures of Harris's Black father.Pierce shook her head."You know what? I don't even care," said Jenkins, 73. "It doesn't matter because I don't care about people, I care about policy."- - -Meryl Kornfield in Glendale, Ariz., contributed to this report.