Marianne Williamson denies supporting Trump in slandering immigrants for eating pets after saying 'Voodoo really does exist'

Marianne Williamson has denied supporting Donald Trump's claim that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating people's pets, saying the unconfirmed reports cannot be dismissed and that “voodoo is real.”

This week, Trump, JD Vance and other right-wingers spread the unfounded conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating the cats and dogs of local residents.

The theory — which city officials say has no evidence whatsoever — was even discussed on the debate stage when Trump faced Kamala Harris. Debate moderator David Muir pointed out that the claim was baseless, but Trump persisted.

Former Democratic presidential candidate and self-help author Williamson responded to the uproar, writing on X: “Continuing to pick on Trump over the 'eating cats' affair will backfire on November 5th.”

“Haitian voodoo is real. And dismissing that story is better than listening to the citizens of Springfield. Ohio confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of Democrats as smug elite idiots who think they are too smart to listen to anyone outside their own silo.”

But Williamson, 71, stressed that her comments did not mean she supported Trump's claims.

In response to a request for comment, she The First report on her tweet with the words: “I absolutely did not believe Trump’s claims!”

Linking to a National Geographic In the article, she added: “I said that the practice itself is demonstrable (see below) and that automatically dismissing the stories of people in places like small towns in Ohio is very bad for Democrats and actually helps Trump.”

Officials in Springfield, however, said there were “no credible reports” of cats or dogs being harmed.

Meanwhile, some scholars had previously suggested that the historical use of the word “voodoo” had racist undertones.

Myths and racist sentiments surrounding “voodoo” are at the core of the right-wing conspiracy theory targeting Haitians in Ohio, said Dr. Willie Mack, a University of Missouri professor who studies race and immigration. The InterceptVoodoo comes from “vodu,” which means spirit or god in the West African Fon language.

Anti-Haitian racism has a deep-rooted history in the United States that goes back centuries. Haiti has long been presented to Americans as a “voodoo and backward, uncivilized black country,” Mack said. The Intercept.

Vodou is a religion practiced in Haiti that blends African tribal traditions and theology with European beliefs.

Dr. Danielle Boaz, associate professor of African studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, says the term “voodoo” has a “long racist history” and those who use it “promote the idea that religions from Africa are primitive, evil and barbaric.”

“Vodou was frequently referred to as 'voodoo' in English-language newspapers and other literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and adherents were falsely accused of committing atrocities such as cannibalism and human sacrifice during their ceremonies,” Boaz wrote for The conversation.

“Although Vodou does not recognize an ultimate source of evil in its cosmology, it is often denounced as devil worship,” Boaz continued. “These myths have led to discrimination and violence against followers.”

Williamson ran in 2020 and again this election cycle. The author suspended her Democratic campaign in February before “resuming” it weeks later. Williamson also said she would run against Harris for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out, but ultimately decided against it.

This story was updated on September 12 with Marianne Williamson's comments on her initial tweet.