Trump Targets Somali and Haitian Immigrants at Ohio Rally for Jon Husted/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump attacked Somali and Haitian immigrants Monday while campaigning in Ohio for Republican Sen. Jon Husted. He repeated a debunked claim about Springfield’s Haitian community as Republicans confront competitive Senate and governor’s races. Meanwhile, an independent socialist candidate condemned mailers from a Republican-linked organization that promoted him over Democrat Sherrod Brown.
Quick Look
- Campaign appearance: Trump rallied in Youngstown to support Husted against Brown.
- Immigration rhetoric: He insulted Somali immigrants and repeated false allegations about Haitians eating pets.
- Competitive contests: Husted and Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy face close races.
- Manufacturing announcement: Trump said a submarine component manufacturing center would be located in Cleveland.
- Disputed mailers: Enough Promises Ohio PAC promoted independent candidate Greg Levy over Brown.
- Levy’s response: He accused the group of impersonating his campaign and said he was considering legal action.
- Financial connections: Federal filings link the mailing operation to firms associated with Republican campaigns.
Deep Look
Trump Attacks Immigrant Communities During Ohio Campaign Stop
COLUMBUS, Ohio — President Donald Trump used a Monday rally in Youngstown to criticize Somali and Haitian immigrants while seeking to strengthen Republican Sen. Jon Husted’s campaign against Democrat Sherrod Brown.
Trump linked Minnesota’s Somali community to Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, and repeated his false claim from the 2024 presidential debate that Haitian residents were eating pets.
Referencing those allegations, Trump said “I was right” and credited his administration’s immigration policies with driving Haitians out of the country.
“If you want to stop Ohio from being plundered, ransacked and destroyed like Minnesota is being destroyed, we’re going to stop it,” he said. “Just like we did with Springfield, we’re going to stop it, we’re not going to let it happen.”
His remarks came the same day Homeland Security agents searched the Washington home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali immigrant representing a Minnesota district.
Repeat Ohio Visits Reflect Republican Electoral Pressure
The Youngstown appearance followed another Ohio rally near Dayton less than a week earlier.
Trump won the state by 11 percentage points, but Republicans now face a difficult midterm environment shaped by the Iran war and persistent inflation.
Alongside the Senate contest, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is in a close governor’s race against Democrat Amy Acton.
Trump also announced at the rally that a new submarine component manufacturing center would be located in nearby Cleveland.
Trump Acknowledges Max Miller Amid Abuse Accusations
Trump recognized Republican Rep. Max Miller in the audience.
Miller has continued seeking reelection despite accusations of domestic abuse.
“Thank you, Max, for coming,” Trump said. “Thank you. Very good.”
The acknowledgment accompanied a speech largely focused on immigration and support for Republican candidates.
Springfield Pet-Eating Allegation Remains Debunked
Trump celebrated what he described as Haitians leaving Springfield.
His administration ended a program that allowed more than 350,000 Haitians to remain legally in the United States. Some members of Springfield’s Haitian community had relied on that protection.
Roughly 15,000 Haitians arrived in the city, which has a population of about 60,000, in recent years.
“They’re getting their town back,” Trump said of Springfield’s original residents.
He also defended the pet-eating allegation, which originated with a secondhand Facebook post. Its author deleted the post and apologized, acknowledging that she had no evidence supporting it.
Somali Insults Continue a Pattern of Immigration Rhetoric
Trump spent additional time attacking immigrants from Somalia, claiming that people there were “low IQ” and “don’t have pants to wear.”
His comments followed a longstanding pattern of targeting immigrants from Haiti and African countries.
In 2018, Trump reportedly used an expletive to describe countries including Haiti and asked why the United States could not attract more immigrants from places such as Norway.
The remarks were condemned as racist. Trump initially denied making them but admitted using the phrase last year.
His second administration has restricted immigration and barred refugees except white South Africans.
Husted Faces Brown in Closely Watched Senate Contest
Husted, appointed to replace JD Vance in the Senateis facing a competitive challenge from Brown.
Brown previously served as a senator before losing his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024.
Trump’s visit came as a separate advertising effort sought to draw attention to independent candidate Greg Levy rather than Brown.
Socialist Candidate Rejects Mailers Promoting His Campaign
Mailers sponsored by Enough Promises Ohio PAC began reaching voters in recent days.
They promoted Levy with slogans including “Join the Revolution” and “Send a Worker to the Senate.”
Levy describes himself on X as a “Socialist running for the U.S. Senate to represent Ohio in 2026.”
However, he condemned the mailers, saying they falsely impersonated his campaign and amounted to “dirty tricks” intended to mislead voters.
“This is a highly undemocratic practice and does a disservice to voters in Ohio and throughout the country,” Levy wrote on X.
He said he was considering legal action.
Federal Filings Show Links to Republican-Associated Firms
According to Federal Election Commission recordsEnough Promises Ohio was established Sept. 29.
The organization has not yet been required to disclose its donors, but filings show connections to Republican-associated businesses.
Last week, the PAC paid Seven Farms more than $397,000 across two dates for printing, postage and mailing services supporting Levy or opposing Brown.
Seven Farms is also a new entity. Its listed address is the same South Carolina business suite used by Whistlestop Strategies LLC.
Whistlestop is a direct-mail company operated by Big Dog Strategies LLC, which advises Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC and managed Moreno’s successful 2024 campaign against Brown.
Enough Promises Ohio and Big Dog did not respond to requests for comment.
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