“They’re eating the dogs, […] they’re eating the cats.” This phrase echoed throughout social media compilations after President Donald Trump repeated an unfounded claim about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, escalating threats and violence against the Haitian community. Yet Trump wasn’t held responsible for this false and discriminatory statement, regardless of its consequences. But in order to better protect minority groups like the Haitians from targeted misinformation, greater political accountability must be enforced.

Trump’s lie about Haitian migrants eating pets wasn’t just a slip of the tongue. It was amongst the numerous false statements made during the 2024 presidential debate, from outright lies about his opponent’s policies to exaggerated embellishments about his own accomplishments. After all, he’s been making thousands of these claims since his first presidential term, so much so that his falsehoods have become ingrained into his political brand. 

But it’s not just Trump who used misinformation to back his own agenda. Throughout history, dictators like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Joseph Stalin have spread outright falsifications to justify discrimination, oppression and genocide on certain marginalized groups. Atrocities like the Holocaust, Libyan genocide and Holodomor, respectively, were all justified with the manipulation of public perception.

Further, former U.S. President George Bush declared war on Iraq in part due to the false claim that its President, Saddam Hussein, possessed weapons of mass destruction. The nation ended up at war for nearly nine grueling years, leading to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and little long-term stability for the country.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, false claims made by political officials led to the mistrust and misinformation of health advisory. For example, former President Joe Biden incorrectly stated that vaccinated individuals were unable to spread COVID-19, contradicting recommendations from health officials. On the other hand, Trump promoted the use of the drug hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 cure without any scientific backing, essentially encouraging individuals to seek potentially dangerous treatments. 

Trump also played a significant role in spurring over a thousand rioters to storm the Capitol by perpetuating the baseless claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent. As a result, five people died, over 140 more were injured, and Trump was impeached. Yet the Senate still acquitted him, making him eligible to run again for president. When he was re-elected, he was able to pardon all the rioters of their criminal charges, effectively eliminating any consequences for him and his supporters who acted violently on behalf of an unsupported rumor.

In a recent meeting with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump accused him of being a “dictator without elections” and that his country started the war against Russia. Those watching might not have even known that those statements were false, because no jurisdictional force had held him accountable.

When misinformation has historically inspired unfounded hate, violence and mistrust towards certain groups of people, the government must step up to hold politicians and other influential people responsible for what they say. It’s time to stop tolerating these little lies.