Trump's “they're eating the dogs” memes are not the drag some think they are

They're hilarious and shareable but now have zero context

I’ve been most amused by nearly all the “they're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats” memes that have flooded my feeds since the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.

They’ve proved that the internet’s ability to respond in the least serious way to the most serious thing is unmatched. But they’ve also shown that a meme is an excellent and effective way to launder a conspiracy theory.

After Trump made the false and racist claim that Haitian immigrants were killing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, many rushed to condemn him, quickly pointing out that he was elevating an online smear to the national stage.

The clip of his unhinged debate comments spread quickly causing “they’re eating the dogs” to trend on Twitter/X. The initial shock about what Trump said quickly gave way to humour. Social media users shared videos of their pets reacting to his tirade, like this cute (and concerned) cat, and thi…