At an event at the White House on Friday celebrating the achievements of Black Americans, President Joe Biden became the latest figure to condemn the false claims, advanced by former President Donald Trump and his campaign, about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating residents’ pets in Ohio

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden celebrated the achievements of Black Americans, declaring that the community has “always had my back” and he theirs during a brunch on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday
  • The president used the top of his remarks to condemn the recent proliferation of unproven claims from the GOP, including former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating people’s pets
  • “The community is under attack in our country right now,” he continued, referring to the Haitian population in the U.S. “It’s simply wrong, there is no place in America – this has to stop what he’s doing, this has to stop" 
  • The president on Friday went on to tout his accomplishments to support Black communities, including expanding the number of Black Americans who have health care, forgiving student debt, investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and making Juneteenth a federal holiday

  • He noted that 2.4 million jobs for Black workers have been added to the economy during his administration – using the benchmark to take another apparent jab at Trump and a comment he has made numerous times about immigrants taking “Black jobs"

Biden spoke after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who he referred to as a “proud Haitian American.”

"I want to take a moment to say something about so many Americans like Karine ... a proud Haitian American," Biden said. "A community that's under attack in our country right now.”

"It's simply wrong. There’s no place in America. This has to stop, what he’s doing," Biden said, seemingly referring to Trump. "It has to stop."

Despite police in Springfield, Ohio, saying there is no evidence to support the claim, it has bubbled up numerous times this week, including during Tuesday's presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs!" Trump said at one point on Tuesday. "The people that came in, 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."

"Talk about extreme," Harris responded after ABC anchor and debate moderator David Muir sought to fact-check Trump's claim.

Turning to the main focus of the event, Biden declared that the Black community has “always had my back” -- and he, theirs.

“This nation would not exist – and this is literal – without the blood, sweat and tears of the determination, dreams and contributions of Black Americans,” Biden said. 

The president went on to tout his accomplishments to support Black communities, including expanding the number of Black Americans who have health care, forgiving student debt, investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

He noted that 2.4 million jobs for Black workers have been added to the economy during his administration – using the benchmark to take another apparent jab at Trump and a comment he has made numerous times about immigrants taking “Black jobs.” 

“With your help, in just three and a half years, we’ve created over two million new ‘Black jobs’ for Black Americans …” Biden said, before noting that the “next Black job” will be president of the United States -- a reference to his vice president, Kamala Harris, who is currently running for office. 

Biden told those gathered that Harris – who is on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania – couldn’t make it to the brunch. 

“But she’s always there with us, and we’re always there for her,” he said. 

The president also noted his own role in history, serving as the vice president to America’s first Black president, Barack Obama, choosing the nation’s first Black woman to be vice president, who, Biden said “God willing” will be the first Black female commander in chief. 

Hundreds of guests, almost all dressed in white, sat at round tables with pink and floral-patterned tablecloths spanning the South Lawn at Friday’s brunch. Among those spotted in the crowd was House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

“Black-ish” actress Marsai Martin spoke before the president. Her “Black-ish” co-star Anthony Anderson was also seen in the audience.