Editor's note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers.
Before the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump on Sept.10, Springfield, Ohio, was another relatively unknown Midwestern town. Along with over 67 million Americans, I tuned into that debate. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew it would be historic. This debate wasn’t just about policies: it felt like a turning point for the country, a defining moment that could shape the future.
At one point during the debate, Trump chose to use his time on stage to amplify false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets.
Trump was quickly fact-checked by moderator and ABC News anchor David Muir, responding to Trump by noting that the city manager told ABC News “there have been no credible reports” of such incidents.
These are the same false rumors pushed by J.D. Vance at his rally Sept. 9. Despite one of his staffers being informed that day by a city official that such comments were false, Vance went on to spread this dangerous and false narrative. Vance now admits he invented the story so that people would pay attention.
It’s a disturbing cycle Americans know all too well. Republican candidates push some baseless, sensationalist claim just for the media to run with it for a week, and we all shake our heads and grumble about how these could be two of the most powerful men in America and life moves on.
But not for everyone.
Since the debate, Springfield has become a flashpoint for hate and anti-immigrant vitriol. Bomb threats continue to shake the community. At least two schools are temporarily closed, the hospital was put on lockdown and the two local colleges have gone remote. Haitian immigrants in Springfield, and all over the country, are in fear for their lives, with many afraid to even leave their homes. Flyers, allegedly from the Ku Klux Klan, are calling for the "mass deportation" of foreigners.
The Haitian immigrants in Springfield are just the latest targets of Trump’s dangerous rhetoric. We’ve seen this play out time and again during his rise to power, using violent words that cause violent consequences. And, because it happens so frequently, it is too easy to forget that real people’s lives are being irrevocably altered by the former president’s words.
This pattern was a hallmark of Trump’s presidency. The Washington Post counted a staggering 30,573 false or misleading claims during his four years in office. In his first 100 days, they reported 492 “suspect” claims, and Nov. 2, 2020, the day before the election, Trump made an astonishing 503 false statements in a last-ditch effort to sway voters.
The problem isn’t just the sheer volume of lies: it’s that when Trump speaks, the world listens.
You’ve probably heard people defend his controversial statements by pointing to his actions on the economy and the border as justification. The issue with this argument is that these are direct attacks on real people. Dismissing his words as just mean tweets or offhand remarks minimizes the devastating effects they've had on individuals and entire communities. We cannot forget the man behind these tweets is the same man responsible for the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Muslim travel ban, the harsh separation of families at the border and, of course, the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
We can no longer pretend the divisive things Trump says are separate from who he is or what he truly believes.
Now, more than ever, America needs a president who understands the immense responsibility that comes with the office. It’s more than just about passing policies or winning elections: it’s about leadership, integrity and setting a moral standard for the nation. The dangerous rhetoric and blatant falsehoods Trump continues to spread have real-world consequences, causing individuals, communities and the fabric of our democracy to suffer. What America needs is a president who unites, not divides, who leads with empathy instead of fear and who values truth over chaos. The stakes are too high for us to settle for anything less.
Ainsley Foster (she/her) is a junior studying elementary education.
