'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
John Legend recently denied former President Donald Trump's claim that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were consuming local pets. In a video shared on Instagram on September 12, Legend urged residents to be patient, acknowledging potential challenges related to immigrants.
“So you might imagine there are some challenges with, you know, integrating a new population, new language, new culture, new dietary preferences, all kinds of reasons why there might be growing pains,” Legend said in the video.
For the unversed, on September 10, 2024, during the Presidential Debate, Donald Trump said:
“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in (immigrants), they are eating the cats… They are eating the pets of people living there.”
Now, once Legend’s video went viral, people took to X to criticize his opinion. They further claimed that he doesn't know what "growing pain" is as he is so priviledged.
“Is this dude wearing a robe in his Beverly Hills home while talking about “growing pains” for the small town community he left. UNBELIEVABLE”, wrote one X user.
Other X users also expressed a similar sentiment. They criticized John Legend for his comments and said that he is "paid".
“I grew up in Springfield. John Legend went to high school with my brother. He has not lived anywhere like Springfield for most of his life. How dare he speak of what is best for those residents, including my mom”, wrote another user.
“He’s bought and paid for. Just another rich elite living in luxury trying to tell you to be comfortable in hell”, commented another netizen.
Meanwhile, other netizens pointed out that people’s pets like their cats and dogs cannot be someone else’s “dietary preferences.”
“People’s pets are not “dietary preferences””, said one X user.
“One man’s dietary preference is not gonna be my cat”, wrote another one, sarcastically.
On the other hand, many netizens supported him. They took to the comment section of his Instagram video to back him up.
John Legend brushed off Trump's allegation about the immigrants of Springfield eating other people's pets
John Legend recently gained attention for defending the Haitian community after Donald Trump accused them of stealing and eating people's pets. Legend called the claims "hateful, xenophobic, racist lies" in a video posted on Thursday. He began the video by addressing these allegations directly.
“You may have heard of Springfield, Ohio this week.. If you watched the debate, we were discussed by our presidential candidates...”
He went on to say that adjusting to new people, languages, cultures, food preferences, and other factors might be difficult.
This happened after Trump stated the same at Tuesday, September 10's debate. Nevertheless, as the Daily Beast reported in its September 12 article, law enforcement and representatives from Springfield have refuted the claims on multiple occasions.
Additionally, ABC's host David Muir fact-checked the former president during the discussion by pointing out that the city manager of Springfield has refuted the allegations. Citing the official, Legend further stated that there were "no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals in the immigrant community."
During the debate, Trump referred to the incident in which a Springfield citizen was heard talking on a video from a municipal commission meeting on August 27 about the immigrants "grabbing ducks from the park" and "eating them."
Moreover, as per US Today's September 12 article, someone claimed in a Springfield Facebook community dedicated to crimes that a Haitian immigrant had killed a cat. Additionally, there were rumors that a woman in Canton, Ohio, roughly 175 miles northeast of Springfield, had been arrested for murdering and eating a cat. However, these rumors have not been confirmed yet.
Nevertheless, following the backlash, John Legend didn’t say anything about it.
