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The crowd at Donald Trump’s latest rally chanted, “Send them back!” as the former president peddled more baseless claims about immigration in Pennsylvania on Monday.
Trump told the Indiana crowd Vice President Kamala Harris has “illegally flown in more than half a million migrants” – a statistic he did not back up with evidence – thereby “changing the character of small towns and villages all over our country and changing them forever.”
He also returned yet again to the debunked conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants are eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio, spread over recent weeks at least in part by him and running mate JD Vance.
“Do you think Springfield will ever be the same? I don’t think so,” he said.
“The fact is, and I’ll say it now, you have to get them the hell out.
“You have to get them out, I’m sorry,” he continued as the crowd erupted into applause.
One voice can clearly be heard shouting, “Send them back!” before the rest of the audience joins in, parroting the phrase shamelessly several times.
The Republican presidential nominee got onto the topic when he turned his eye across the Atlantic towards Europe, claiming “reckless migration policy” has “destroyed” Paris and London.
“Look what’s happened in London, look what’s happening in Paris,” he told the crowd, suggesting Harris will do the same if elected in November.
Not the first time this topic has arisen, Trump also claimed in May that immigration left the UK capitol “unrecognizeable” after Europe “opened its doors to jihad.”
The business mogul next brought his crowd’s attention to how immigration has apparently affected America’s education system, saying Democrat mayors are afraid of going against “the stupid party that’s in Washington”:
“So now your schools can’t teach because the majority of students don’t speak the language.” Again, no evidence of this wild claim was offered.
Trump also acknowledged, “we have to do it carefully,” because the “fake news” supposedly spins his immigration policy out of proportion.
After rambling about “millions of people that we have no idea who they are, where they are from” and many of whom are also, Trump claims, “murderers”, he said:
“It’s very tough because we’ll take one young woman with two children, and they’ll put them in a bus to take them back to some country and it’ll be put in the fake news and it’ll be a terrible story - it’s terrible.
“And the whole country will turn against it. It’s a very tough thing to do.”
In response to a request for comment from NBC News, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said: "President Trump is rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country."
Since the false rumors surrounding Springfield started over two weeks ago, the city has been hit with multiple bomb threats on schools, government buildings and residences, prompting Mayor Rob Rue to take emergency powers.
“We are addressing these threats with the seriousness they warrant and are taking immediate steps to ensure the security of both our community and our employees,” the Republican mayor said in a statement. “Our commitment to preventing harm is unwavering.”
He also seemed to speak directly to Trump in an interview with NBC News last week: “If you have a national stage and you’re a national politician, please understand the words that you’re saying have great weight, and how they can negatively affect a community like Springfield, Ohio.”
Trump is grappling for voters in Pennsylvania, but a new poll puts his rival five points ahead in the swing state, with 49 per cent of voters believed to be backing Harris and 44 per cent supporting Trump.
The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
