Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
During his September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump amplified a debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pet cats and dogs. Soon, Wittenberg University, a private institution in Springfield, began receiving violent threats. Michael Frandsen, the university’s president, feared the worst — and got an education in the viral power of misinformation.
Related Reading:
• At 2 Colleges, the Fall Semester Has Been Disrupted by Trump’s Lies About Eating Pets (chronicle.com/article/at-2-colleges-the-fall-semester-has-been-disrupted-by-trumps-lies-about-eating-pets?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e0010-l1)
•
If Trump Wins (chronicle.com/article/if-trump-wins?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e0010-l2) … His allies are preparing to overhaul higher education. The sector is woefully ill-prepared to defend itself.
•
4 years of Fighting (chronicle.com/article/4-years-of-fighting-trump-vs-higher-ed?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e010-l3) : Trump vs. Higher Ed
Guest: Michael Frandsen, president of Wittenberg University
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/podcast/college-matters-from-the-chronicle?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e010-l4) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
During his September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump amplified a debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pet cats and dogs. Soon, Wittenberg University, a private institution in Springfield, began receiving violent threats. Michael Frandsen, the university’s president, feared the worst — and got an education in the viral power of misinformation.
Related Reading:
• At 2 Colleges, the Fall Semester Has Been Disrupted by Trump’s Lies About Eating Pets (chronicle.com/article/at-2-colleges-the-fall-semester-has-been-disrupted-by-trumps-lies-about-eating-pets?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e0010-l1)
•
If Trump Wins (chronicle.com/article/if-trump-wins?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e0010-l2) … His allies are preparing to overhaul higher education. The sector is woefully ill-prepared to defend itself.
•
4 years of Fighting (chronicle.com/article/4-years-of-fighting-trump-vs-higher-ed?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e010-l3) : Trump vs. Higher Ed
Guest: Michael Frandsen, president of Wittenberg University
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/podcast/college-matters-from-the-chronicle?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-trump-pet-eating-claim&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-11-05-slnk-e010-l4) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
