Biden Rips Trump Over False Claims About Haitian Immigrants: “This Has to Stop”

President Joe Biden delivered a forceful rebuke of former President Donald Trump on Friday, condemning him for perpetuating unfounded rumours about Haitian immigrants.

Speaking at a brunch on the South Lawn of the White House, which was themed as a “celebration of Black excellence,” Biden addressed the ongoing misinformation campaign targeting Haitian immigrants. While he did not name Trump directly, his remarks were aimed at the former president.

“It’s simply wrong,” Biden said, his voice increasingly indignant. “There’s no place in America for this kind of behaviour. What he’s doing has to stop.” The president was referring to Trump’s repeated claims that undocumented immigrants from Haiti in Springfield, Ohio, were involved in stealing and consuming household pets.

City officials have debunked this story, and they contradicted it during Tuesday night’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The false claims have caused significant unrest in the Springfield community, resulting in bomb threats that led to the evacuation of several public buildings, including City Hall, two schools, and a state motor vehicle agency office.

During the event, which was not officially a campaign rally but had a campaign-like atmosphere, Biden highlighted his administration’s achievements and efforts for the Black community.

He mentioned his efforts to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday, and support historically Black colleges and universities. Biden also boasted of record-low unemployment rates among Black Americans.

“The Black community has always had my back, and I’ve always had yours,” Biden told the audience, which included members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Karine Jean-Pierre, the first Black woman to serve as White House press secretary.

In a nod to Trump’s recent remarks about “Black jobs,” Biden remarked, “The next Black job to be filled is as president of the United States of America.” The president continued to criticise Trump’s negative portrayal of the country, asserting, “I get so tired of the other guy talking about we’re a failing nation. We are the greatest nation in the history of the world. That’s a fact.”

Biden’s comments were part of a broader effort to energise Democratic voters and support Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign as she seeks to become the first Black woman elected to the presidency.