By: Jessica A. Dennehy
On Tuesday, September 10th, the nation gathered to watch what was expected to be the first of many debates for the 2024 presidential race, featuring former President Donald J. Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris. The audience anticipated a thoughtful discussion on how each candidate would shape America if elected President. However, that didn’t quite happen. While there were moments of civility and intelligence, the debate also devolved — a lot. Trump’s comments included many unsubstantiated and, at times, false claims, while Harris frequently baited and challenged him with sharp remarks and rebuttals. David Muir and Lindsey Davis, the ABC moderators for the debate, along with Harris, found themselves fact-checking many of Trump’s statements, which varied from misleading to flat out wrong – and racist.
One of the more memorable moments occurred when Trump referenced the recent influx of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. “In Springfield, they’re eating dogs,” the former president claimed. “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating… the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” David Muir, who, according to some right-wing sources, had become the third participant in the debate by this point, quickly fact-checked the statement, noting, “ABC News reached out to the city manager there. He told us there have been no credible reports of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
What followed was an interesting back-and-forth, which, may I remind you, was on live television for the entire nation to see:
“Well, I’ve seen people on television. The people on television say my dog was taken and used for food. So maybe he said that, and maybe that’s a good thing to say for a city manager.”
“I’m not taking this from television. I’m taking this from the city manager.”
“People are on television saying the dog was eaten by the people that went there.”
“Again, the Springfield city manager says there’s no evidence of that.”
I don’t know what to say about the people on television, but users of TikTok and other social media platforms took notice of this perplexing segment, with many making tongue-in-cheek jokes, music, and choreographed dances inspired by the absurd claim. Casa Di Music, a TikTok account with over half a million followers, remixed that particular segment, blending Trump and Muir’s lines with a reggaeton beat, which has already garnered over 1.2 million views on the platform. Alternatively-directed TikTok media also includes fan art of Trump and Biden with Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” in the background, Harris’s Coconut Tree remixes, and even more —you’ll find it if you look into it. Just don’t do it on a school account.
The rapid spread of TikTok remixes and social media reactions to the debate highlights how Americans increasingly engage with politics through humor and viral content. Emerson T. Brooking, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Lab, suggests that “maybe they spread it because sharing dumb memes is the closest thing many Americans still have to political participation in this country.” Or maybe the younger generations enjoy receiving news updates in the form of a TikTok dance remix.