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‘Haitian Voodoo is real’: Marianne Williamson under heat for defending Trump's bogus pet-eating claim; White House fumes
Marianne Williamson voiced her support for Donald Trump after he stoked row with his dubious remarks against Haitian immigrants in Ohio.
Marianne Williamson, the former long-shot Democratic presidential candidate, backed Donald Trump after he stoked controversy with the ludicrous and debunked conspiracy theory that claims Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are stealing and killing pets in order to eat them.
Williamson took to X on Thursday morning to voice her backing for the ridiculous remarks that Trump made during his first presidential debate against Kamala Harris. The former President's claims have made him a topic of unrelenting derision.
“Continuing to dump on Trump because of the ‘eating cats’ issue will create blowback on Nov. 5,” she wrote. “Haitian voodoo is in fact real, and to dismiss the story out-of-hand rather than listen to the citizens of Springfield, Ohio confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of Democrats as smug elite jerks who think they’re too smart to listen to anyone outside their own silo.”
Vodou, a religion that is practiced in Haiti, combines European ideas with African tribal traditions and theology.
It appears that Williamson's support hasn't had much of an impact on public sentiment as most of the responses to the post have been unfavorable.
Oscar-winning director Peter Ramsey reacted to Williamson's remark insisting that “Haitian voudou has NOTHING TO DO WITH EATING CATS, you ignorant moron.”
“Dismissing stories that have no basis in fact out of hand is exactly the right thing to do. What has happened to you?” one X user asked.
“You literally wrote “Haitian Voodoo”," another wrote.
“You literally are the worst. This is what your shitty ignorant rhetoric is doing. Do better,” the fourth user chimed in.
Marianne Williamson takes U-turn after facing backlash, defends self
After facing intense heat on X, Williamson, 71, rejected backing Trump’s claim that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are stealing and eating people’s pets.
Defending herself, she said, “I did not say that such things are happening in Springfield. I simply said that the practice itself is ancient and verifiable.”
Sharing a National Geographic article, she wrote on X: “I said that the practice itself is verifiable (see below), and that automatically dismissing the stories of people in places like small town Ohio are very bad for Democrats and actually helps Trump.”
In contrast to her and Trump's claims, Springfield officials have said there have been “no credible reports” of pets in Ohio being harmed.
White House reacts to Trump's remarks
White House denounced the odd claims that Trump and his supporters made against Haitian immigrants.
In response to questions about the Biden administration's message for residents of Ohio, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who is herself the daughter of immigrants from Haiti, blasted Trump's remarks as “bizarre” and “hateful.”
“I think it’s important that all of us take a step back here and just lean on the facts here. The Springfield, Ohio police department has debunked this very bizarre and very hateful smear that’s out there.”
She said it is an attempt to “tear apart communities and disrespect law enforcement.”
Stating that the US “does not deserve” this, she asserted that such claims are disrespectful and dehumanising to all Americans. Blasting Trump for his “hate speech” that “puts their lives in danger”, the Press Secretary accused the former President of “spreading filth that makes the lives of the communities that are being smeared here.”
Jean-Pierre mentioned that immigrants and Haitians in Springfield and other places are now concerned for their safety due to the "conspiracy theory" that Trump has promoted.
“Maybe we should not have leaders who fall for fake internet conspiracy theories. Maybe we should not have leaders who do that. Our country deserves better,” she concluded.
