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Trump betrays a community he once wanted to stand up for

In what may be the strangest thing a major-party presidential candidate has ever said during a debate, Donald Trump, provoked by comments about the crowds at his campaign rally, voiced support for a racist, anti-immigrant conspiracy theory.

“In [Springfield, Ohio] “They're eating the dogs,” the former president said, referring to the Haitian-American immigrants in the community. “The people who came here are eating the cats. They're eating, they're eating the pets of the people who live there.”

To the extent that reality still matters, local authorities have thoroughly discredited this ugly nonsense. But after the Republican candidate, his running mate and far too many of their allies spread the nonsense even further, the public is beginning to see the real consequences of these lies. NBC News reported:

The Ohio city at the center of a culture war over debunked claims about Haitian migrants was forced to close its city hall on Thursday after receiving a bomb threat, it said on its website and social media channels. … In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Springfield police said at least six buildings, including an elementary school, were closed and under investigation due to the threat.

Hours later, Trump was on the campaign trail in Arizona, where he repeated the same false claims, seemingly indifferent to the damage he was causing. At one point, the Republican candidate went so far as to condemn “illegal Haitian immigrants” who had destroyed a community in Ohio. “Nobody knows where they came from,” he added.

The truth is, whether the former president cares or not, that the Haitians came into the country legally. helped the local community; and everyone knows exactly where they come from. (Haitians come from Haiti. Even Trump should be able to understand that.)

But as this completely crazy story continues, I am reminded of something the Republican said during the campaign a few years ago.

Exactly eight years ago this week, Trump campaigned in Miami and spent time at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, where he emphasized the “common values” he shares with Haitians.

“Whether you vote for me or not,” the candidate said at the time, “I really want to be your biggest advocate.”

A year later, he repealed temporary protected status for Haitians who had been allowed to enter the United States after a devastating earthquake in 2010. A year later, the Republican hosted a meeting at the White House and called Haiti a “shithole” country.

And now Trump is lying to the public about Haitian immigrants – the same people to whom he told, “I really want to be your biggest advocate” – betraying a community he vowed to focus on.

It's hard to say how many people believed the Republican's rhetoric in 2016, but for those who did trust him, I have bad news.

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