Vice presidential candidate and Ohio Sen. JD Vance seemingly took credit on Sunday for propagating the media bonanza over baseless claims of pet-eating in Springfield, Ohio, that made their way to last week’s presidential debate—even as it led to bomb threats at offices and schools in the city.
“The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I start talking about cat memes,” Vance told CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do.”
“Sorry, you just said that you're creating the story,” Bash shot back. “You just said that this is a story that you created. So, the eating dogs and cats thing is not accurate?”
“I say that we're creating a story, meaning we're creating the American media focusing on it,” Vance clarified. “I didn't create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies. Her policies did that. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’ policies.”
The tense exchange came as Bash took Vance to task over calls for violence made against Springfield and its Haitian community, questioning why Vance and the campaign continued to boost a narrative that puts lives at risk “despite officials in your state saying that there's no evidence and pleading for you to stop.”
(Many Haitian migrants legally reside in Springfield through the government’s Temporary Protected Status classification, which the Department of Homeland Security extended in June through 2026.)
Vance opted to ignore the mention of Springfield officials’ pleas and instead claimed that the media was just ignoring the issue. “Many of the things that the media says are completely baseless have since been confirmed,” Vance said, pointing to a 911 call made by an Ohio resident who claimed to see a Haitian immigrant stealing a goose.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources told local outlet WSYX on Friday it found no evidence that happened. The Ohio Department of Wildlife, meamwhile, told TMZ the viral photos of a man—whose identity or immigration status has never been confirmed—holding a goose were actually taken in Columbus, Ohio, and that the bird had actually been hit by a car.
“Instead of saying things that are wrong, and actually causing the hospitals, the schools, the government buildings to be evacuated because of bomb threats, because of the cats and dogs thing, why not actually be constructive?” Bash asked.
The question roiled Vance, who attacked Bash’s “disgusting” insinuation that he was responsible for such bomb threats as “more appropriate for a Democratic propagandist than it is for an American journalist.”
“There is nothing that I have said that has led to threats,” he continued.
Local officials seemed to disagree. Springfield Mayor Rob Hue told The New York Times the threats were “a hateful response” to the Haitian population and lambasted “national politicians, on the national stage” who “mischaracterize what is actually going on and misrepresent our community.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro followed Vance on the show with some harsh words: “This guy is so pathetic.”
“There is a causal connection between the BS that JD Vance and Donald Trump spew and the safety and security of the American people,” Shapiro said, calling the segment “bonkers.” “When they go out and they lie about this stuff, they put their fellow Americans at risk.”
