Former President Donald Trump is facing backlash for failing to denounce the bomb threats made in Springfield, Ohio, on Saturday.
As reported by Newsweek and The Associated Press earlier this week, an emailed threat said bombs had been planted in the homes of Springfield’s mayor and other city officials. A second email said that bombs would be detonated at locations including Springfield City Hall, several schools, and offices, leading to several evacuations.
In addition, there was an emailed threat regarding a potential shooting on campus at Wittenberg University, a private liberal arts college in the city, leading to school evacuations and the canceling of planned events.
In a statement, the university said: “Wittenberg University is currently taking extreme precautions following an email sent Saturday, Sept. 14, that threatened a potential shooting on-campus on Sunday, September 15, 2024. The message targeted Haitian members of our community. Wittenberg Police are cooperating with the Springfield Police Division and the FBI to investigate this threat.”
The bomb and shooting threats followed derogatory statements made by Trump about Haitian immigrants in the community.
In Tuesday’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump said, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs—the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
In footage reposted online, the Republican presidential nominee was asked by a reporter in Las Vegas on Saturday: “Do you denounce the bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio?”
Trump avoided answering the question directly, saying: “I don’t know what happened with the bomb threats,” before implying the real threat is at the border: “I know that it’s been taken over by illegal migrants and that’s a terrible thing that happened.
“Springfield was this beautiful town and now they’re going through hell. It’s a sad thing. Not going to happen with me, I can tell you right now.”
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Newsweek contacted the Haitian Community Health & Support Center in Springfield via email on Sunday for comment.
In the same interview, Trump claimed: “The real threat is what’s happening at our border.”
The former president has faced criticism online for his response. The @KamalaHQ account reposted the footage and comments on X, formerly Twitter, while Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy reposted the footage on his own X account, commenting: “He doesn’t denounce the bomb threats. This is a candidate explicitly running on the promise of political violence.”
Political analyst Sarah Reese Jones made her views clear, posting on X: “Trump just condoned the Springfield bomb threats.”
X user @ColinDMcIntosh commented:” First off, Haitians started coming to Springfield in 2018 **when Trump was in office**, seeking asylum from the violent situation in Haiti. Most are in the system, and not here illegally. They have taxpayer IDs and work jobs. Also, how hard is it to denounce a bomb threat?!”
Newsweek contacted Springfield Mayor Rob Rue via email on Sunday for comment.
Documentary-maker and journalist Lindsay Beyerstein stated on X “Trump refuses to denounce bomb threats. You shouldn’t need any details to denounce a bomb threat. Bomb threats are not OK under any circumstances.”
Former prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Trump should face legal consequences for his remarks about the immigrant community. As reported by Raw Story, he said in a video that was released on September 14 that, “Trump is endangering lives of ‘entire populations’ by telling ‘despicable lies’ about them, including that they are stealing and eating local residents’ cats and dogs.”
The legal expert continued: “The law provides that a defendant who is on pretrial release in a criminal case, if he poses a danger to society or even one person in society, he should be revoked on release and detained pending trial.”
Newsweek reached out to the offices of Donald Trump on Sunday via email for comment.