CNN GOP Commentator Says It’s the ‘Absolute Worst Time’ For Trump-Vance to Visit Springfield

CNN’s Jim Acosta covered the ongoing story of Springfield, Ohio where residents have had to deal with the fallout of a debunked conspiracy pushed by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH).

Acosta spoke with Pete Seat, who served as White House spokesperson for former President George W. Bush, and told him that both Trump and Vance reportedly want to visit Springfield after repeating the baseless claim that Haitian immigrants living in the small town were eating house pets. Vance has not only consistently doubled down on the claim, but even admitted that he “create[d]” the story to push his ticket’s narrative on immigration.

High-profile Republicans in Ohio, including Gov. Mike DeWine, who called their commitment to the story “very hurtful” to the Haitian community in Ohio. The Republican mayor of Springfield Rob Rue has also expressed frustration over the chaos the story has caused, including threats made to public facilities, schools, and hospitals.

Seat said that given the security resources needed to host a presidential candidate, who also happens to be a former president, a visit to Springfield by Trump and Vance would be the “absolute worst”:

Acosta: Trump and Vance apparently are saying they want to visit Springfield. Vivek Ramaswamy is saying he’s going to go there tomorrow. Is that a good idea?

Seat: I don’t know about Ramaswamy. I try to ignore him. I think he’s bombastic and useless. But I would stay away if I were Donald Trump and JD Vance simply because I think about this like natural disasters. And you’ve covered the White House for years, Jim. You know, when a president goes to the site of a hurricane or a tornado, it diverts resources. Law enforcement and first responders have to take care of the President or in this case, the former president visiting. I think this would be the absolute worst time for Donald Trump to visit that town because it would divert resources that are needed elsewhere.

Acosta then asked Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky, who agreed with Seat that such a visit was a bad idea:

Acosta: Yeah. And especially in that town, right, Julie?

Roginsky: Well, you know, I would go a step further and this would be like an arsonist visiting the scene of the fire that he started. I mean, this is not just diverting resources. This is Donald Trump coming to stoke the fire. He’s not coming there to say, “I made a mistake. Nobody’s eating dogs. Nobody’s eating cats. The Haitian community is adding resources and frankly, filling jobs that Springfield had lost in the previous years. And that’s why they’re there. They’re there legally and they’re there to do the jobs that Springfield could not fill otherwise. And therefore, basically improving the economy of not just Springfield, but the region in Ohio.” He is coming there to stoke the fire and it’s only going to get worse. And God, if I were Mike DeWine, if I were the conservative Republican of Ohio, I would be begging JD Vance and Donald Trump to stay away, because the last thing that these people need is for somebody to exploit them even further in their time of need.

Watch the video above via CNN.