ABC hosts a presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 10, 2024. Photo by Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)
‘ROASTED FLUFFY?’
Donald Trump managed to rattle even rank-and-file Republicans with his deranged, bogus conspiracy theory about Haitian migrants eating pets in Tuesday nightâs debate.
- Can disgraced former President Trump ever push his die-hard supporters too far? For years, as he transgressed every moral and political norm up to the point of committing actual felonies, the answer has always been a resounding, âhell no!â And yet on Tuesday night, when the chips were down in the all-important debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump managed to make even some normie Republican voters deeply uncomfortable with his unhinged antics. As tensions rose on stage, Trump leaned into the microphone and bellowed an absolutely batshit, racist conspiracy theory, managing to sound like a boomer uncle after accidentally digging into his nephewâs stash of weed cookies at a family gathering: âThey’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,â Trump thundered. âThey’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.â
- Many Americans had no clue what he was going on about. Trump was amplifying unsubstantiated reports about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating peopleâs pets and ducks from the local pond, which have surged in the right-wing online echochamber with a series of bizarre memes. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Trumpâs running mate, has been at the forefront of this racist misinformation campaign, even while admitting that it might be false.
- Trumpâs outburst went down like a bucket of bricks with Republicans in a Fox News focus group. Those Republicans, along with Democrats and independents, all expressed disapproval of Trump’s ravings about immigrants allegedly devouring pets. They werenât the only ones on the right disappointed with Trumpâs performance. Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called the night a âmissed opportunityâ for Trump. Fox Newsâ Brit Hume deadpanned: âMake no mistake about it: Trump had a bad night.â Even MAGA billionaire Elon Musk admitted that Harris âexceeded most peopleâs expectations.â
- In keeping with the animal theme, GOP political strategist Karl Rove deployed his own barnyard metaphor to describe Trumpâs defeat: âThereâs no putting lipstick on this pig. Mr. Trump was crushed by a woman he previously dismissed as âdumb as a rock.â Which raises the question: What does that make him?â
Locals in Springfield, Ohio, have expressed baffled dismay over finding themselves at the center of this wackadoodle right-wing conspiracy theory.
- âI looked on the menu of three of four restaurants here today, man. I didn’t see roasted Fluffy nowhere on it,” a local man said during a Springfield city hall forum on Tuesday, calling the claims âbull cocky.â To be sure, the town has experienced some changes. About 15,000 Haitians have arrived in the city of 59,000 residents over the last four years under Temporary Protected Status. Haitiâs capital has been overrun by violent gangs in recent years, contributing to the uptick in immigration. Ohio has recently announced plans to provide more resources to cope with the influx. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) now plans to send troopers and millions of dollars in healthcare resources into the city.
- MAGA Republicans have also latched onto the death of an 11-year-old boy, who was killed by a Haitian immigrant in a car crash last year, to make their anti-immigration case. Even the boyâs father wants them to shut up. âI wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man ⌠the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone,â Nathan Clark told the city hall forum. âThe last thing that we need is to have the worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces, but even thatâs not good enough for them. They take it one step further. They make it seem that our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate, that we should follow their hate.â
Tens of millions of Americans will vote for Trump anyway, of course, literally no matter what he says. But in an election this tight, a couple percentage points can make all the difference. It now remains to be seen whether Trumpâs ludicrous behavior on Tuesday night will prompt that kind of change.
For more on the debate, check out today’s episode of the What A Day podcast, right here.
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- Taylor Swift, signing her Instagram post endorsing Kamala Harris, with a dig at JD Vance's oddball obsession.
NEWS NEWS NEWS
President Joe Biden called for âfull accountabilityâ for the Israel Defense Forcesâ killing of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the Israeli-occupied West Bank last week. âThe shooting that led to her death is totally unacceptable,â Biden said in a Wednesday morning statement. âIsrael must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.â But Israel rarely punishes soldiers, and the White House is unlikely to add more pressure on Israel to act.
The U.S. is moving more aircraft and soldiers into West Africa in an effort to stop the spread of al Qaeda and Islamic State militants, the Wall Street Journal reports. That comes months after American forces were kicked out of Niger, causing the U.S. to lose some access and influence on the continent â as Russia and China also expand their footprints in Africa.
Pop star Justin Timberlake is scheduled to enter a new plea deal on Friday in his Hamptons drunk driving case, according to prosecutors. The plea details werenât made public, but a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press that the singer will âplead guilty to a less serious offense than the original charge of driving while intoxicated.â Whatâs that really catchy song he put out a few years ago? Lawsuit and tried? (Iâm so sorry).
Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte will face former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig in a toss-up to be New Hampshireâs governor, succeeding Gov. Chris Sununu, the popular firebrand MAGA-apologist. âWe wonât let them Mass up New Hampshire,â Ayotte told supporters on Tuesday, meaning she doesnât want the Granite State to become a wealthy, education-focused, environmentally-conscious Democratic stronghold with a Dunkin Donuts around every corner. Yes, I am a proud Masshole.
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