Trump’s Anti-Haitian Rhetoric Is No Laughing Matter

Whether you watched last week’s presidential debate or not, you’ve likely heard about Donald Trump’s obsession with false allegations of Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs. “In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating — they're eating the pets of the people that live there.” The MSNBC Moderator fact checked that there is no credibility to these claims but Trump doubled down and the sound bites of his rant have since gone viral with everyone from pundits to TikTokers laughing at Trump. Sound bites have been remixed and social media users are doing skits and dances to the sound of anti-Black xenophobia. On both sides of the aisle, people are laughing but few are decrying the inherent violence in Trump’s rhetoric.

Donald Trump’s inability to speak in coherent sentences mixed with the outrageousness and irrelevance of his words at any given moment is so shocking that we sometimes laugh to cope. Memes are spurned and people think that by “owning” or making a fool of him online, they are engaging in some sort of digital activism. In actuality, while everyone else was getting in on the fun, Haitian-Americans paid the price. In Springfield, Ohio — the town Trump called out by name — Haitian parents pulled their children out of school and barricaded themselves in their homes for safety. Bomb threats over the last few days have led to evacuations and closures of local Ohio elementary and middle schools, health clinics, and government buildings. Trump’s words encouraged people to lash out by vandalizing the cars and homes of Haitian migrants, or anyone perceived to “not belong.” 

“It’s disgusting that somebody running for office, and to be the leader of the free world can use his platform to echo stereotypes and division,” says Gregory Maurice, a Haitian-American media and entertainment executive. Maurice first moved to America when he was 13 years old and this moment has brought him back to those early years of fitting in and facing racist resistance. “Even back then, the stereotypes of Haitian Americans like myself were narrow,” says Maurice. “Other kids thought we all came on boats or that we all had AIDS.” 

“Things don’t have to be true for them to have an effect on society,” says Haitian-American writer Ruth Jean-Marie. “Jokes aren’t just jokes. They take hold of people.” Growing up Jean-Marie knew peers who lied about their Haitian heritage because of the incessant bullying. Now, that bullying has turned even more sinister, with the backing of Trump and his Vice President running mate, JD Vance. On a recent appearance on CNN, Vance doubled down on amplifying false and salacious narratives and admitted he’ll keep doing so as long as those stories redirect media attention to the issues he and Trump are focused on. With so much more misinformation coming down the pipeline, we know who is being sacrificed as collateral damage.

Jean-Marie has been traveling to Haiti since the age of five or six and has seen the beauty across the country for herself. That foundation helped to bolster against internalizing the hatred she’s heard spewed about Haitian people over the last several decades – and even longer. But, like Maurice, Jean-Marie knew that people of all ages joked about Haitians being poor and dirty, or having HIV/AIDS. Despite that being a sweeping generalization and mischaracterization, this narrative was parroted by kids in the school yard and government officials alike. In the 1980s, following the CDC’s amplification of those rumors, Haiti’s economy tanked. “It impacts immigration policy, it impacts the economy, it impacts geopolitical politics,” Jean-Marie asserts. 

In addition to being a writer, Ruth Jean-Marie is also the founder of The August Consulting Group where she helps traveling do-gooders make a real impact knowing that aid workers and volun-tourists often enter countries like Haiti thinking they know better than locals. These well-intentioned people are carrying tropes in their head of the people they’re trying to serve and it’s clear they’re too consumed with patting themselves on the back to be sure their impact matches their intent. Jean-Marie brings up the example of the American Red Cross who raised half a billion dollars after the 2010 earthquake yet no one knows where the money actually went. “You’re sending people to Haiti first class who don’t speak Creole and the programming isn’t materializing but they are still more trusted than those on the ground,” Jean-Marie shared. That’s a direct byproduct of how stereotypes have deteriorated global respect for Haitian people. “It’s all intertwined,” she notes, “so the juxtaposition between the gravity and levity in this moment has made me really frustrated.” 

A PhD student and TikTok creator coined this as the “SNL-ification of xenophobia.” The more we share Trump’s words without rigorously stomping out his message, we are defanging and normalizing his violence. Behind every ridiculous thing Trump says during a debate or at a rally, is a very serious policy proposal drafted up by someone savvy enough to make true on their promises. During the first question of the debate, when asked about the economy, Trump pivoted from inflation and tariffs to racist caricatures. “You look at Springfield, Ohio… They’re dangerous. They’re at the highest level of criminality. And we have to get them out.” Later when specifically asked about his plan to deport 11 million people, Trump replied that the number was actually much higher. 

Violent and outlandish rhetoric always serves to prime us for more violent policies to come. In 2021, images of Haitian migrants being attacked by Border Patrol agents with whips shocked the nation. If cruelty is already baked into our immigration system, imagine how much of an uphill climb we are already on. When real people’s safety gets traded in as the butt of a national joke, joining in on the “fun” means complicity. In this election alone, cruelty at the border and hatred of migrant people are both on the ballot as conservatives seek to cement their white supremacist vision for America. Ballot initiatives across the nation, from Arizona to the Carolinas to Kentucky, are targeting immigrant communities and naturalized citizens. 

Instead of laughing along, we should undercut the caricature-building right in its tracks and replace lies with truths. Gregory Maurice has acquired hundreds of films and is now focused on more authentic portrayals of immigrant experiences and contributions. He’s building out a platform called Zaka Connect for the advancement of immigrants and to highlight their contributions. For example, 42% of startups in America are founded by immigrants and immigrants make up 45% of Fortune 500 workforces. You may not know this based on the most popular films and tv shows, but Maurice believes pushing back against negativity with affirmations is better than leaning into comedic relief. Similarly, Ruth Jean-Marie has been collecting stories and perspectives from Haitians in Haiti as part of a coffee table project launching next year. The stories are intended to be objective portrayals that counter more dominant narratives. 

It feels like we’ve been saying this for the last decade but the stakes are high right now. Too high to be cavalier with our words and actions. “People should understand that they are creating forever,” reiterates Ruth Jean-Marie. “What you see as a quick joke or laugh has implications on an entire group of people forever.” It is our responsibility to pay attention to Trump’s words lest he laugh his way back into The White House and prove just how serious he is.