The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, denounced former President Donald Trump's promotion of a racist conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants are abducting and eating people's pets in his city.
Ohio's Republican junior Sen. J.D. Vance, wrote Monday on X that "months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio."
"Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country," he said. "Where is our border czar?"
Trump then breathed more oxygen into the baseless claim at the debate Tuesday night against Vice President Kamala Harris.
"A lot of towns don't want to talk ... in Springfield, they're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats. The people that came in. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country," he said.
ALSO READ: How Trump ally Michael Flynn is priming supporters for violence ahead of the election
Mayor Rob Rue told CNN anchor Laura Coates that he has received hateful messages and calls.
"Some of the commissioners and I have received hateful phone calls, hateful emails, some of us not wanting — particularly my, I'll speak to my own voicemails and emails — they don't want us around anymore. 'Please die. You and your family.' Heinous stuff like that."
His comments came hours after a bomb threat was called into city hall, which evacuated around 8:30 a.m. City officials said the bomb threat was made against "multiple facilities throughout" the town.
When Coates asked if a growing population of Haitian immigrants were the "impetus" for the hateful messages, Rue said there's been "pressure" in the community.
"I can't sit here and say it's not been difficult to deal with. A fast-growing population. So over the three years, we've had a 20-25 percent increase in our population. You put that strain on any city, their infrastructure is going to feel the weight of it, going to feel the stress of it, people are going to be tired and frustrated," said Rue. "So I have to have understanding and empathy for that and I absolutely do."
Even so, he said "We need help — not hate," pushed back against claims the "vibrant" city is "imploding," and called for dispelling the rhetoric.
"These rumors, they're just not true," he said. "Springfield is a beautiful place and your pets are safe in Springfield."
When Coates played a clip of Trump repeating the conspiracy theory at a Thursday rally in Tucson, Rue denounced the former president.
"You have a stage. Let me just say, any political leader that would stand and take a microphone and even say 'Springfield' with a bit of a hate and with a bit of a like, 'Springfield!' — I mean that's just frustrating. We have a beautiful city. And we need the national stage to pay attention to what their words are doing to cities like ours. Legacy cities in Ohio."
Watch the clip below or at this link.