J.D. Vance Says He 'Created' The 'Haitian Migrants Eating Ohio Pets' Story In Eyebrow-Raising Verbal Gaffe

Republican Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance went on CNN over the weekend to defend the baseless "Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio" rumor pushed by himself and the Donald Trump campaign and, while defending its veracity, ended up implying he'd "created" the story.

"If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do," he said.

CNN's Dana Bash challenged him on his phrasing, asking if he meant he had literally invented the "eating pets" story, to which Vance clarified he was "creating" media attention on a situation he claims comes from his constituents' "first-hand" accounts.

Still, Vance's choice of words read like a telling slip to many on social media, as it appeared Vance admitted to inventing a story to drum up racist fears of immigrants that has since resulted in confrontations in the small community.

If J.D. Vance truly meant to "create" a media story, he arguably succeeded, as the rumor has been the subject of intense media scrutiny over the past week while a bevy of memes have sprung out of it.

The story may have also inspired bomb and shooting threats against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio.

The media have thoroughly investigated the claims of Haitian migrants eating pets in Springfield and found no evidence to support them.

NBC tracked down a woman, Erika Lee, whose Facebook post was a catalyst of the rumor, and she said she deeply regrets the post. Recently, Lee posted about a neighbor’s cat that went missing, and her neighbor told Lee she thought the cat was the victim of an attack by her Haitian neighbors.

Shortly after the post went viral, Donald Trump was belting "THEY'RE EATING THE DOGS" during last Tuesday's debate with Kamala Harris.