Claim: Kamala Harris owns a Haitian restaurant that uses domestic animals for food.
Fact: The image showing Harris standing in front of a Haitian restaurant is fake, and is likely AI-generated.
On 10 September, X user @KimsterPablo posted (archive) a picture apparently showing Kamala Harris standing outside her restaurant called “Kamala’s Haitian Grill: Featuring cats, dogs and geese.” The caption claims: “Horrifying, Kamala’s Illegals Haitian Barbecue Restaurant in Springfield Ohio. Shut it down, VOTE TRUMP.”
The image suggests Harris has a Haitian restaurant that uses the aforementioned animals for food, a claim targeting Democrats’ Presidential Elections campaign and the Haitian immigrant population in Springfield Ohio, which is a part of former president Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
According to a 11 September 2024 article (archive) by The Washington Post, these rumors have also made it to billboards designed by Arizona’s Republican Party that say: “EAT LESS KITTENS. Vote Republican!” The slogan imitates (archive) Chick-fil-A’s advertisement, and features cats instead of cows.
Fact or Fiction?
The image is either doctored or AI-generated.
Harris’ right eye is unnaturally closed and is smaller in size. Her hair appears softer as if it was airbrushed, a tell-tale sign of AI-generated content.
People seen on the left have blurred and contorted faces, which clearly shows the image is not authentic and has multiple markers of AI-generation. We ran the image through AI detection tools but could not conclusively prove that the visual was generated using an AI tool, possibly because it was created and then screenshotted to avoid detection.
Moreover, Soch Fact Check conducted keyword searches and found no Harris’ eponymous restaurant in Springfield Ohio as suggested by the claim.
False claims about Haitians eating pet animals have been spread and amplified by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and his running mate Senator JD Vance.
“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs, the people who came in they are eating the cats, they are eating the pets of people that live there,” said Trump during a televised debate between him and Harris on 10 September. The debate moderator, however, fact checked Trump’s statement, adding that, “ABC did reach out to the city manager and he clarified to us there are no credible reports of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals there [in Springfield, Ohio].” The claim has since been debunked by prominent news outlets as well.
City officials said the claims targeting Haitians, in a county that has an immigrant population of at least 12,000 people, are untrue.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, concludes that an image showing a Haitian restaurant owned by Kamala Harris that uses domestic animals for food, is fake.
Virality
It appeared on X here, here, here, here, here.
On Facebook here,
A YouTube video “DARK RITUALS & DEMONIC POSSESSION IN SPRINGFIELD OHIO??? WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON???” also featured the image at timestamp 6:48, speculating the existence of this restaurant.
On Reddit, the image was found here.
Conclusion: An image showing Harris’ Haitian restaurant in Springfield, Ohio is not real and likely AI-generated.
Background image in cover photo: Alabama Reflector
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com