The Springfield Reign of Terror: How False Claims Cause Chaos

Ohio Republican Governor Mike Dewine announces he is deploying state troopers and enforcing daily bomb sweeps in Springfield schools after racist and inflammatory comments exited the Trump Vance Campaign along with other Republican officials. After being interviewed by ABC News, Governor Dewine, a Trump supporter himself, was asked if the comment was true: he stated, “No absolutely not,” while also adding, “The Haitians that are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work.”

The lies spread about the Haitian community have done serious damages: Over 33 bomb threats as of September 17, 2024 have been found. During a back-and-forth CNN feature with Dana Bash, JD Vance, the Vice Presidential Candidate for Donald Trump and a Senator from Ohio, said, “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.” Vance was first to elevate this claim before it was brought up during the debate. Trump plans to visit Springfield soon.

The laughable comment made by Donald Trump during the September 12th Presidential Debate on undocumented migrants claiming that, “They are eating the dogs, the people that came in, they are eating the cats, they are eating the pets of the people that live there” during the Presidential Debate against Democratic candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris. The comments have effects that aren't so laughable, especially towards Springfield residents that are now suffering because of it. Ruthless comments and misinformation can create mobs of hate towards the targeted group, leading to violence and chaos. Children are sheltering, fearful of going outside.  Featured on ABC News for the panel of the National Association of Black Journalist Event, Kamala Harris states, “When you have that kind of microphone in front of you, you really ought to understand at a very deep level how much your words have meaning.”

Universities are going remote, threats are multiplying— targeting Haitians and even the mayor's house and the city hall. Even Springfield’s annual cultural fest has been canceled this month. State officials continue to state how false the claim is, and why it shouldn’t have been made. 

So, what should candidates and administrators in the public eye consider? Well, for one, each word spoken must not only be accurate, but respectable. There is no shame in advocating for issues and speaking one’s mind, but consideration of the audience and the subject of whom is being discussed must be held at a higher stake. False claims have been made by several other presidents and presidential candidates, leaving behind damage across the world. Take former President George W. Bush and his administration, who, leading up to the invasion of Iraq, repeatedly asserted that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and was an imminent threat to the United States and its allies. Bush stated, "The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program."  a 2004 report by the Iraq Survey Group (ISG), which was led by Charles Duelfer, found that Iraq had not reconstituted its nuclear weapons program prior to the invasion in 2003. The report stated, "Iraq's nuclear program was primarily focused on obtaining a deterrent capability, but it had not achieved that status, and there was no active program that indicated an intention to produce nuclear weapons." The consequences of these claims continue to be felt today, as they have shaped U.S. foreign policy and military engagement in the Middle East. Many policymakers and citizens are now increasingly reluctant to endorse military interventions, apprehensive about repeating the mistakes of Iraq, which stemmed from unreliable intelligence and misleading assertions. This hesitance has influenced U.S. foreign policy choices and its approach to authoritarian regimes and conflicts in the Middle East, underscoring the lasting repercussions of the misinformation regarding Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Misinformation can have everlasting effects.

The importance of research, accountability, and the truth must be clear: words can and will cause carnage, and it is important to use them correctly and mindfully. Holding leaders accountable for their false claims is the first step to achieving a stable society. Many supporters can be classified as 'die-hard,' meaning they will believe every word said by the person they support and are highly likely to act upon those claims. In order to ensure a foundation of truth, better efforts must be made to amplify fact-checking.