So, we are now talking about eating pets

[Ocelot II]

5. We are quite capable of holding more than one thought at a time, thank you;

and of understanding why the pet-eating rumor captured attention. It's significant because it illustrates how completely insane and stupid and vicious Trump and Vance are. Everybody knows Haitians are not eating pets in Springfield, but Trump and Vance are using the rumor to inflame prejudice and hate even though they know it's not true. (Actually, Trump might believe it because he often decides to believe crazy things that he thinks might be useful to him.) The issue isn't whether anybody is eating pets in Springfield. It's the extent to which a hateful, racist rumor can be used against a population - the same thing used to be said about Asian immigrants.