BEXLEY, Ohio — Spectrum News' Statehouse Reporter Samana Sheikh sat down with Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, Friday afternoon, where he shared his thoughts on the ongoing situation in Springfield, Ohio.

What You Need To Know

  • Spectrum News' Statehouse Reporter Samana Sheikh sat down with Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, Friday afternoon

  • He shared his thoughts on the ongoing situation in Springfield, Ohio

  • DeWine has been at the forefront of state efforts to assist in Springfield after the town was thrust into the national spotlight in recent weeks

  • DeWine, who was born in Springfield, said he is very dissapointed with the campaign rhetoric that has become a national talking point

DeWine has been at the forefront of state efforts to assist in Springfield after the town was thrust into the national spotlight in recent weeks.

A number of individuals, including former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, have echoed false claims that Haitian immigrants had been stealing and eating pets. The topic also came up during the most recent presidential debate.

The city has been the target of dozens of bomb threats in recent weeks.

DeWine penned an op-ed for The New York Times Friday in which he defended the town and its residents from these disparaging remarks, pushing back on the comments made by Trump, Vance and others. 

DeWine, who was born in Springfield, said he is very dissapointed with the campaign rhetoric that has become a national talking point. He said it's getting in the way of addressing the real issues at hand. 

"So we're working on these problems every day, and this ‘eating dogs,' all this other stuff, it frankly, it gets in the way, I think, of what people are trying to do," he said. "And then when you start getting the threats coming in from overseas and from other places, all bogus. But, you know, this really scared kids and scared their family. So we've got to kind of lower the rhetoric and get back to normal."

DeWine said it's important to keep in mind that the Haitians in Springfield came via the government's Temporary Protected Status program, meaning they're here legally.

When asked about how Trump and Vance have put the city in a spotlight, the governor said he doesn't agree with the way it was done. He said it never helps when there are stories without legitimate claims.

However, he said they still have his vote in the presidential race.

"Well I'm the governor of the state of Ohio, and when someone says something that's not true about the state of Ohio, I'm going to step up and say something about that. I don't care who they are. That's my job. My focus is on Springfield. My focus is on this state. We're a state on the move, Springfield's a community on the move, and I'm not going to let comments that I know are false go without me rebutting them."