John Legend has spoken out against former President Donald Trump’s false comments about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which is the musician’s hometown.
Trump made the claims during Tuesday’s presidential debate, alleging that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were “eating the dogs” and “eating the cats” of local residents. The remarks echoed similar claims made days earlier by his vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, on social media.
Despite multiple fact-checks by ABC News debate moderators, who noted that Springfield city officials had denied any evidence of such incidents, Trump persisted on his claims, and said : “the people on television” were saying it. When pressed for clarification, Trump added, “We’ll find out.”
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In response, Legend took to social media and expressed his thoughts on the issue in a video. “You may have heard of Springfield, Ohio, this week,” Legend began. “In fact, if you watched the debate, we were discussed by our presidential candidates, including a very special, interesting man named Donald J. Trump.”
Legend went on to provide historical context on Springfield, describing how the city had faced economic decline for decades, with its population dropping from 75,000 to about 60,000 in recent years. He also credited the Biden administration’s efforts to create new manufacturing jobs, which led to an influx of Haitian immigrants who were granted visas to fill those roles.
“During the same time, there had been upheaval and turmoil in Haiti, and the federal government granted visas and immigration status to a certain number of Haitian immigrants so they could come to our country legally,” Legend explained, estimating that around 15,000 immigrants had come to Springfield, resulting in a significant population increase.
He acknowledged the challenges of integrating a new population, including cultural and linguistic differences, but emphasized the positive contributions immigrants bring. “The bottom line is these people came to Springfield because there were jobs for them, and they were willing to work, and they wanted to live the American Dream,” Legend said.
Drawing a comparison to the immigrant stories of various communities, John Legend stated, “They saw opportunity for themselves and their families in the American Dream, and they came here to do that.” He encouraged understanding and empathy for immigrants, saying, “Immigrants usually do very well here. They are hardworking, they’re ambitious. They commit less crime than native-born Americans, and they will assimilate and integrate in time.”
Legend, who grew up in the Christian tradition, invoked the values of loving one’s neighbor and welcoming strangers, urging viewers to reject Trump’s divisive rhetoric. “How about we adopt that ethos when we talk about immigrants moving to our communities and don’t spread hateful, xenophobic, racist lies about them?” he said.
Concluding his message, Legend firmly countered Donald Trump’s claims: “Nobody’s eating cats, nobody’s eating dogs. We all just want to live and flourish and raise our families in a healthy and safe environment. How about we love one another?”
