“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs!” warned Donald Trump during the September 10 presidential debate. Seemingly flabbergasted by his own allegation, his voice rose as he pushed the point forward, delivering his rhetorical cat de grâce. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats! They’re eating the pets of the people that live there!”
After Trump’s now-infamous declaration, there were a few ways we as a public could respond. Laughing out loud would be the most obvious. Less obvious would be the route taken by conservative activist Christopher Rufo. For Rufo, the cat hunters would become the hunted.
The day after the debate, he offered a reward on Twitter: “Alright, let’s settle it: I will provide a $5,000 bounty to anyone who can provide my team with hard, verifiable evidence that Haitian migrants are eating cats in Springfield, Ohio. Deadline is Sunday. Go.” ….more
