The Republican mayor of the Ohio town recently targeted by a string of debunked claims about immigrants eating pets has stated he would "be fine" if the former president did not come visit.
"It would be an extreme strain on our resources. So it'd be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit," Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said Tuesday, according to NBC News.
Former President Donald Trump was reportedly planning on visiting the city "soon," as reported by NBC News Sunday. Trump recently intensified his running mate JD Vance's unfounded claims that Haitian immigrants were eating the city's pets.
Springfield officials have repeatedly stated that these claims are false and that city police have had no reports of such behavior. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, even referred to the claims as "garbage" after visiting the city Tuesday.
"I have to state the reality, though, that resources are really, really stretched here," DeWine said, per NBC.
Schools and city buildings across Springfield have been subjected to bomb threats and personal threats since the false rumors began circulating.
"Please understand that the words you're saying have great weight at how they can negatively affect a community like Springfield," Rue said on MSNBC Tuesday. "We just ask that [the rumors] would quiet down. We need help, not hate."
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