Mayor asks Donald Trump to reconsider his visit to Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WCMH) -- One day after former President Donald Trump announced his intention to visit the Ohio city that has become the center of the immigration debate in the country, the mayor asked him to reconsider.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue spoke Thursday at a news conference alongside Gov. Mike DeWine and other officials, giving updates in the days since Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, began pushing false reports that Haitian migrants were stealing pets and eating them.
"A visit from the former president will undoubtedly place additional demands on our safety infrastructure," said Rue, a fellow Republican. "Should he choose to change his plans, it would convey a significant message of peace to the city of Springfield."
Watch: Springfield Mayor Rob Rue statement on Trump visit
Trump said he intends to visit Springfield soon. He said he'd also go to Aurora, Colorado, site of exaggerated claims of gang activity from Venezuelan migrants. His aim has been to spotlight problems caused by the immigration policies of President Joe Biden and the Democratic nominee running against him, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I’m going to go there in the next two weeks. I’m going to Springfield, and I’m going to Aurora,” Trump said. “You may never see me again, but that’s OK. Gotta do what I gotta do. Whatever happened to Trump? Well, he never got out of Springfield.”
In the fallout of comments from Trump and Vance, Springfield officials have had to deal with dozens of hoax bomb threats targeting schools and other buildings, stretching the city's public safety resources. A visit from a presidential candidate would only stretch them further, Rue said.
"We need to lower the rhetoric," DeWine said. "Everybody needs to lower the rhetoric."
Later Thursday, a former challenger of Trump's in the presidential race who's now thrown his support behind him, Vivek Ramaswamy of Upper Arlington, held a town hall event in Springfield. Rue called for those attending to be respectful toward others and to remain peaceful.
Ramaswamy took the opportunity to blame "awful federal policies" for the division between America and the Haitian population, saying he was aiming to "reunite America through conversation" at the meeting at the Bushnell Event Center.
Figures from Springfield officials have put the total of Haitian migrants, most of whom entered the country legally, at 12,000-15,000, with many going there to fill a need for workers. DeWine and Rue have been adamant that the reports of Haitian migrants eating pets were false, and no reporting has backed those claims.
"The statements are wrong," DeWine said this week in a PBS interview. "I have said they were wrong. The mayor has said they were wrong. And, frankly, they need to stop."
DeWine also said that state troopers will remain a visible presence at schools, conducting daily sweeps before teachers and students arrive.
NBC4's sister station WDTN contributed to this story.