Trump leans into conspiracy theories that could bring on another Jan. 6

The seminal moment of Tuesday night’s presidential debate may have come when Donald Trump, staring angrily into the camera, went all-in on a racist conspiracy theory that had been heavily pushed by running mate JD Vance.

“In Springfield, they're eating the dogs,” Trump snarled. “The people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating—they're eating the pets of the people that live there.”

They’re not. They’re really not. 

But the way that Trump immediately accepted and spread this dangerous and dehumanizing lie is symptomatic of a movement that will simply believe anything as long as it supports existing bias. MAGA isn’t just gullible, it’s hungry, always seeking out a new reason to Hate Thy Neighbor. 

Trump fed their xenophobia with the story about immigrants in Ohio gobbling down pets. And while it’s not known if the Trump and Vance lies are directly connected, a bomb threat Thursday morning has warranted a major police response in Springfield, Ohio.

Now he’s leaning into another conspiracy theory that could lead to a second Jan. 6 … or worse.