Trump shares anti-Haitian immigrant cat memes ahead of first presidential debate

Donald Trump is never too busy to take a dip in the most vile corners of the internet.

The former president proved as much on Tuesday evening, taking time away from prep for the first presidential debate to join in on the racist, conservative meme that claims Haitian immigrants are eating ducks and pet cats.

That rumor started with the sturdiest of foundations — a pixelated Facebook screenshot about alleged goings-on in Springfield, Ohio. It was supercharged via a social media share from Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk and was quickly picked up by Sen. Ted Cruz and Trump running mate JD Vance.

"Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country," Vance falsely claimed via X earlier this week.

Trump let thinking computers do his bigotry for him, sharing two bizarre, AI-generated images to Truth Social that referenced the growing right-wing meme.

The first showed an orange tabby cat holding a rifle in a black-and-red MAGA hat. The second showed Trump flying on a private plane stuffed with ducks and cats.

Springfield has seen a wave of migrants since the pandemic, drawn to a local boom in manufacturing and warehouse jobs. Tensions between newcomers and long-term city residents were exacerbated when a mini-van driven by a recent immigrant to the area crashed into a school bus and killed an 11-year-old last year. While the friction in that town is very real, there's no truth to the claims being spread by the GOP.

“There have been no credible reports or specific claims of beings being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Springfield Police shared with NBC News.