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‘They’re eating the dogs:’ Trump’s debate flop is a TikTok hit

The internet did its thing.

Photo of Charlotte Colombo

Charlotte Colombo

Donald Trump over abstract background
That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.

He might have campaigned for its ban during his presidency, but it can’t be denied that TikTok has done a lot for Donald Trump. His outlandish comments and unusual demeanor have made him go viral on the app plenty of times, and his most recent debate is no exception.

In his first head-to-head with Kamala Harris, Trump ensured the night was memorable— but probably not in the way he wanted it to be. Here’s how his debate disaster became a viral TikTok sound.

@theonlinerd All jokes 🤣😆 this sound is too perfect #theyreeatingthedogs #intuitiveeaters #intuitiveeating #dietculture #dietitian ♬ original sound – Independent

The sound

As puppies and kittens quake with fear, Trump declares: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats… They’re eating… they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

The sound, first shared on TikTok by the Independent, has already been used an astonishing 65,900 times. The majority of the videos under this sound feature users’ dogs and cats, who, unsurprisingly, are looking a little uncomfortable about the whole situation.

Other TikTokers are getting a little more creative with the sound. Voice actor Christopher Tester performed a dramatic reenactment of the rant as a monologue, and inevitably, multiple remixes of Trump’s ramblings have already been made.

One remix, by CasaDiMusic, has already been used over 7,000 times, with fellow TikToker Isaac Bradshaw choreographing a dance to accompany the remix.

@chrisnaturallyrp ‘THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS’ – Trump, A Dramatic Monologue #theyreeatingthedogs #donaldtrump #dramaticmonologue #fyp #voiceactor #voiceactortiktok #trump ♬ original sound – Christopher Tester

Where’s it from?

As mentioned, the sound comes from a televised debate between Harris and Trump which took place on Tuesday night.

The conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating America’s pets was originally proliferated by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance on X on Sept. 8.

During the debate, ABC moderator David Muir immediately fact-checked the claim. He said he reached out to the city manager, who denied the claim,

@ibrad45

Telling my mans to do this

♬ Theyre eating the dogs Theyre eating the cats – CasaDi

Sound off

Naturally, Trump’s comments have been meme’d all over the internet. On X, under the #PetsForTrump hashtag, users are sharing AI-generated images of Trump rescuing pets.

But the most concerning part is that some of these posts appear to be unironic.

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