Home to about 50 white extremist groups, Ohio’s social  landscape undergoes rapid change

Paul J. Becker, University of Dayton and Art Jipson, University of Dayton

The first time many Americans heard about Springfield, Ohio, came during the September 2024 presidential debate when Donald Trump falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in the city were eating other residents’ cats and dogs.

Though shocking, these harmful rumors had been spreading on social media since the beginning of the summer and had gained more notoriety when JD Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio and Trump’s running mate...