US Election 2024: Springfield, Ohio, locals respond to Donald Trump’s pet-eating claims in debate

Route: Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to Springfield, Ohio

Distance: 901km drive

There are few things in life more deliriously and mind-bendingly visually monotone than an American freeway.

Four-lanes wide, concrete-encased funnels of boredom. There’s an overwhelming beige-ness on long-haul drives across the US that makes minutes feel like hours and hours feel like days.

As we crossed from Wisconsin through Indiana and into Ohio, the only pops of colour to punctuate the roadside bleakness was from billboards advertising fast-food greaseholes slinging grub that’s still terrorising my guts.

But if you can survive being bullied by bad food, bad driving and even worse chat from a cameraman doubling as your chauffeur – occasionally you’re rewarded.

In this case, the town of Springfield, Ohio was our reward.

Blazing red fall foliage lined suburban streets and local parks as we arrived in the neat, yet unremarkable city.

There’s a reason the creators of The Simpsons chose Springfield as the name of their fictional town.

There are at least 35 ‘Springfields’ dotted across the United States. Everyone knows a Springfield. Many have escaped Springfield.

But this Springfield — a tiny blip between the larger cities of Colombus and Dayton — has taken an outsized role in this election thanks to Donald Trump and an outlandish debate-stage lie that’s still haunting residents here.

“That crazy motherf...er put us on the map.”

That’s how local great-grandmother Sandy sees it.

The proud Springfield dog owner is still outraged and offended by Donald Trump’s salacious and totally fabricated claim that Springfield residents — specifically the large Haitian migrant community – were chowing down on the community’s pets.

“People think we eating our motherf...ing dogs out here in Springfield because of Donald Trump.”

It was a lie that was born in the darkest corner of the internet and then amplified on a national stage by the former president.

And it has caused untold harm in Springfield.

“We have our problems here, we can’t deny that”, Sandy told us as we walked her rescue dog ‘Giddy’ through Springfield’s largest dog park, aptly named Central Bark.

“But we were doing good, we were getting on top of it all. Then he went and said that.

“I’m not Haitian, but no one knows the difference - they only see black skin. I don’t feel safe now” the 69-year-old African American said.

The wedge it’s put through this community will be felt for a generation — at least that’s how Jacob Payen sees it.

He’s the spokesman for Springfield’s Haitian Community Alliance — a group that’s taken a dignified offence to Trump’s claims.

“It’s like someone put a knife into you and started twisting it.”

“Donald Trump hurt us and it’s going to take a long time to fix that hurt.”

We met the young father in his shop — a jumble-store hawking candles, scents and other non-essential bric-a-brac.

He says business is struggling since Trump’s comments. And he fears for the safety of his six-year-old son.

Donald Trump’s debate stage comments set the internet on fire.

The now famous line: “They’re eating the cats, they’re eating the dogs” has spawned musical remixes and an avalanche of viral memes.

But in Springfield, gentle mockery has given way to real-life dangers.

Bomb threats. The National Guard was called in. Schools went on high alert.

What was a funny video on the internet, was a dark reality here.

“I’m a Republican and I’ll never forgive him for that,” Roger Sherrock told me.

The president of the Springfield Historical Society — and a regular at Central Bark — only hopes that ballot box punishment is coming for the former president.

“Springfield is better than that, we don’t tolerate that crap here.”