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Eligible disaster survivors looking for temporary sheltering options may apply for housing options here.

How Do I Visit the Iowa State Capitol?

The Iowa State Capitol and its golden dome have stood as a shining symbol of Iowa government and politics since its completion in 1886. The Capitol welcomed nearly 78,000 visitors from across the state, nation, and world last year. Formal and self-guided tours are available at no charge.  

The Iowa State Capitol is open Monday through Saturday for self guided tours or guided tours for groups of 10 or more.

Tours of the Capital

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (building locks at 4:45 p.m.)

Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you have ten or more people in your group you can call us, or complete a  Tour Request , for a guided tour. Smaller groups should call 515.281.5591. Tours can be scheduled Monday through Saturday.

Location - Address: 1007 East Grand Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50319

Video and pictorial tours of the capitol and capitol grounds.

You can visit the Capital virtually by looking at our video and pictorial tours of the Capital and Capital grounds.

Related Agency - Iowa Legislature

Address:  State Capitol, 1007 E Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50319

Phone:  (515) 281-5129

Related Links

Iowa state capitol visitor guide, capitol tours and resources, capitol complex events, parking map, driving directions, iowa legislature.

Experience Iowa State University Main Campus

Virtually explore Iowa State University Main Campus in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

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Tour 92 iconic iowa barns on all-state tour this weekend.

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The Iowa Barn Foundation's All-State Tour is back this weekend and bigger than ever.

In its 24th year the free, self-guided tour features a record 92 barns, all of which will be open for touring inside and out from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 and Sunday, Sept. 15.

This year's tour includes 11 rare round barns, including six that are on the tour route for the first time.

From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, approximately 200,000 barns were built in Iowa, according to the Iowa Barn Foundation. Of those, only about 250 were round.

"These barns feature some of the most amazing design and architecture you will find in any building in the state of Iowa," the foundation said.

Find information about all 92 barns on the tour, and an interactive map to plot your route, at iowabarnfoundation.org .

More on the 6 round barns new to Iowa Barn Foundation All-State Tour

Source: Iowa Barn Foundation

Johnson Round Barn , 1350 260th St, Waverly (Bremer County)

Round dairy barn built in 1913 from clay tile provided by Johnston Brothers Clay Works from Fort Dodge for the original owner, John H. Martin. It features a central clay tile silo. Barn is visible from Highway 218 and can be used as a point of reference when navigating the area south of Waverly. It is well known to the community and served as an antique shop 25-30 years ago. The farmhouse was built in 1916 of the same clay tile material.

Burr Round Barn , 30648 Garber Rd, Guttenburg (Clayton County)

Barn was originally built in the 1920s by Carl H. Ball and later restored by the current owner. The craftsmanship of this barn is simply spectacular with the most amazing view being found looking up in the haymow. The bank barn design allowed wagons of hay and grain to be pulled into the upper level, while the dairy cows could walk out the doors of the lower level.

Clear View Farm Barn , 25515 Basswood Ave, Volga (Clayton County)

This 1910 14-sided bank barn is a one of a kind Iowa treasure that was restored by the owners in 2023-2024 with the assistance of Iowa Barn Foundation emergency and restoration grants. The barn features a central clay tile silo, and it originally was used for dairy with 13 stanchions in the lower level. In 1914, the barn officially got its name from owner Milton Duff, who christened it Clear View Farm. It is the only known 14-sided barn still standing in Iowa.

Plymouth County Fair Round Barn , 500 4th Avenue NE, Le Mars (Plymouth County)

Built by H.A. Tonsfeldt for his Polled Hereford show cattle. Construction began in 1918 and took three years to complete. Barn is 61 ft in diameter and 68 ft tall with a 13.5 ft central silo. The barn was gifted to the Plymouth County Fair, and the $30,000 needed to move and restore the barn came from community fundraising and a match from the fair board. The barn was moved to is current home at the fairgrounds in September 1981. During the Fair, the Round Barn is home to educational agricultural displays. The barn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Cramlet Round Barn , 11256 Route V64, Douds (Van Buren County)

A rare round barn designed and built by Louden Machinery Company of Fairfield, a manufacturer with a nationwide market in farm equipment. Constructed in 1921, it has lost its tall cupola but has otherwise been meticulously restored.

Knoll Crest Farm - Nebergall Round Barn , 9478 145th Street, Davenport (Scott County)

The Nebergall family had the barn built in 1914 by Benton Steele, a prominent round barn builder from Kansas. The 56-foot diameter design has a two-pitched gambrel conical roof with cupola. The lower section is constructed of hollow clay with the upper section constructed of wood. The barn originally housed dairy cows and draft horses.

• Artists of an Era
• Barragán: A Spiritual Master
• In Our Time
• In Their Time
• World's Fairs
• Sculpting an Icon
• Past Exhibitions
• Upcoming Exhibitions
• Propose an Exhibition form
• Search the Collections
• Barragán: A Spiritual Master publication
• Preservation & Conservation
• Brunnier Art Museum
• Christian Petersen's Panthers
• Farm House Museum
• "Hidden Gems" Seek & Find
• Art on Campus Digital Map
• Fountain of the Four Seasons
• George Washington Carver
• Topel Cheng Collection
• Art on Campus Fact Sheets
• Collections Database
• Coloring Book
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• About Faces of Iowa State 2021
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Guided Tours

Discover our museums the university museums team designs unique tours to engage and spark your curiosity visitors of all ages are welcome to join us on a guided tour, led by our museum staff and museum docents. we hope you’ll leave your tour with a sense of excitement and interest to learn more about the art in our collection.  .

Schedule your guided tour Tour all the galleries, or just the one that interests you most. As a department at an institution of higher learning, the University Museums’ staff and docents will conduct exhibition and collection tours for the general public and organized educational groups. University Museums must approve all after-hours and weekend tours. 

Two weeks' notice required

Minimum of 8 people, maximum varies depending on location

Large groups may be split into smaller groups

$5 per person per location (or Art on Campus) Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

All other times $8 per person per location

No charge for ISU affiliates

Questions? Email  [email protected]  for more information or call 515.294.3342.

Schedule a Tour

Tour Times Tours are offered at all museums' locations between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Learn more about the  Brunnier Art Museum  in the Scheman Building. Learn more about the  Christian Petersen Art Museum  in Morrill Hall. Learn more about the  Farm House Museum  in central campus. Learn more about the  Anderson Sculpture Garden  outside of Morrill Hall. Learn more about the  Art on Campus  Collection throughout the ISU campus.

  Tour Procedure Tours for groups of eight or more at the Brunnier Art Museum, Art on Campus, Christian Petersen Art Museum, Elizabeth and Byron Anderson Sculpture Garden, and the Farm House Museum may be arranged by contacting the University Museums Interpretation Specialist at least two weeks prior to the requested tour date. Tour request can also be submitted online via the Tour Request Form . Tours at the University Museums will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Children must be accompanied by adult(s) as outlined by the Iowa State University Office of Risk Management.    After receiving a tour request, University Museums will confirm the request with a tour confirmation email and/or a telephone confirmation if the time and date are available. If the time and date are not available, University Museums will contact the individual to make alternative arrangements. The University Museums has the right to decline any tour requests. All tours will be placed on the shared University Museums Outlook calendar.   Tour Fees Educational tours for Iowa State University classes and groups are free, while non-ISU affiliated groups (including K-12 field trips) will be assessed a fee of $5 per person (or $8 per person for after-hours tours). For programs or lectures given by any museum staff at an offsite location within 40 miles will be charged a $150 fee regardless of audience size. Requests for programs at locations farther than 40 miles will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and an appropriate fee will determined based on travel cost. In-person tours are typically no longer than two hours, but can be extended on request for a fee of $50.

For questions about museums' tours, please use the contact form or email [email protected] .

Digital Docent Program

Looking to explore the University Museums collection from the comfort of your home, classroom or senior home? The University Museums is proud to unveil a new program that brings our highly trained docents to your computer screen through Zoom. These one-hour long PowerPoint presentations created by our docents encourages viewers to engage their visual literacy skills by looking at curated artwork in the University Museums’ permanent collection.

The Digital Docent Program is a free well-being program offered to organizations in our community to expand participant’s skills in looking, feeling and wondering about art. This program is free of charge, but two weeks’ notice is required. Please fill out the Tour Request Form  and select Digital Docent Program. For questions regarding the Digital Docent Program, please use the contact form or email [email protected] .

Desired Outcomes

Participants are intellectually engaged in a stimulating activity

Participants feel valued, having the option of joining in conversation and asking questions

Participants can enjoy art and learn something new

Prior knowledge about art is not needed

Participants experience a sense of community and connectedness while being socially distant from others

Each call lasts about one hour, 45 minutes for program and 15 minutes for questions

A docent speaks with participants using telephone conference call, Zoom, or other virtual meeting technology available to participants via the facility.

Images of the art are presented in a colorful PowerPoint, handouts of the images are available on request

Calls showcase works of art in the University Museums collection, offer participants fascinating insight and pose thoughtful questions about the art and a few stories to deepen the participants appreciate for the art.

Docents can tailor the program to the needs of the organization with advanced notification

Programs Available

 Highlights from the Art on Campus Collection

Iowa State University is home to one of the largest campus public art programs in the United States. Over 2,500 public works of art make up the Art on Campus Collection, and are located across campus in buildings, courtyards, open spaces and classrooms. Take a tour with a University Museums Docent as they highlight some of the iconic works of art in the Art on Campus Collection.

Please stay tuned for more Digital Docent Programming topics!

First-Year Students

Admissions’ visits include a residence hall tour ! Incoming students who are thinking about coming to Iowa State have an amazing opportunity to experience everything Iowa State has to offer. If you decide to be a Cyclone, you’ll also be offered residence-hall tours as part of your orientation experience. Reservations are required.

Transfer Students

As part of an Admissions’ visit experience, you’ll have the option to see one of our apartment communities. Transfer students can choose a residence hall or one of our communities focused on older students like Frederiksen Court Apartments, SUV Apartments and Wallace Hall. Reservations are required.

• Election 2024
• Government + Politics
• Ag + Environment
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Iowa Supreme Court to rule on Libertarian ballot access by end of Wednesday

By: robin opsahl - september 10, 2024 4:07 pm.

Iowa Libertarian congressional candidates Marco Battaglia, left, and Charles Aldrich speak outside the Iowa Supreme Court in Des Moines Sept. 10, 2024 following oral arguments about their place on the 2024 general election ballot. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The Iowa Supreme Court plans to issue a decision by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday on whether three Iowa Libertarian congressional candidates will appear on the state’s 2024 general election ballots.

Justices said they plan to comply with a request from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office for an expedited decision on whether to take the candidates off the ballot for the Nov. 5 election. They heard oral arguments Tuesday from attorneys representing the Libertarian candidates as well as the State Objections Panel and voters challenging their candidacies.

The panel voted 2-1 on Aug. 28 to take Libertarians Nicholas Gluba in 1st Congressional District, Marco Battaglia in the 3rd District and Charles Aldrich in the 4th District off the ballot. The Republican members of the panel said their candidacies were invalid because the Libertarian Party of Iowa did not hold its county conventions in accordance with Iowa state law.

The state Libertarian Party held its county caucuses the same day as precinct caucuses on Jan. 15, despite Iowa Code stating that convention delegates elected at the caucuses do not officially take the position until the following day.

The Secretary of State’s office is seeking a quick turnaround from the courts in order to certify ballots for the upcoming Nov. 5 election. The ballots were supposed to be certified Sept. 3, but Polk County District Court Michael Huppert granted a temporary injunction on finalizing the ballots so the Libertarians’ challenge to the panel ruling could go through judicial process. Ballots are required to be certified and ready for overseas and military voters by Sept. 21, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Huppert upheld the panel’s decision to remove the candidates from the ballot on Saturday, saying the voters who filed objections had the right to challenge Libertarian candidates’ certificates of nomination based on issues with the party’s nominating process, and that the panel’s decision does not amount to state interference into political party procedures.

Attorneys representing the candidates have argued that while the Libertarian Party of Iowa did make mistakes in its convention process, the nominations were still “substantially compliant” with state law. Jennifer DeKock, the lawyer representing Battaglia, argued before the Iowa Supreme Court Tuesday that some county conventions were held just over three hours before midnight, marking the next day when the meetings would have been valid.

“Does the failure to wait 181 minutes after caucus to begin convention justify kicking Libertarian candidates off the ballot, and violating Iowa voters’ constitutional rights to political opportunity?” DeKock asked.

Lawyers with the candidates also said the Libertarian Party of Iowa should have been given time to remedy the party’s procedural mistakes instead of having candidates removed from the ballot.

But Republican attorney Alan Ostergren told state justices that voters’ right to support the candidate of their choosing — including the Libertarian candidates taken off the ballot — were not impacted by the panel’s decision, as voters could still support the candidates as write-in candidates. If the state Supreme Court affirms the decision to keep the candidates off the ballot, all three Libertarians running in congressional races plan to continue their campaigns.

While Chief Justice Susan Christensen described the situation as a “ticky tack” violation, Ostergren argued for enforcing “strict,” rather than “substantial” compliance with Iowa laws for getting onto the ballot. He said one of the burdens that comes with major party status is ensuring that party processes are being conducted correctly according to Iowa laws.

He also argued there would be “no logical stopping place” for what would count as “substantial” compliance with the law in a situation like the Libertarian caucus and convention process, meaning that state parties could conduct their nominating processes outside of what was intended as legal by the state Legislature, he said.

“When the rule gets applied, it seems harsh,” Ostergren said. “I get that. … But these rules — and why strict compliance is necessary — is they’re like an insurance policy for the elections process. They’re (in place) so elections officials, when they have to make decisions on a quick timetable, know that there’s regularity in the process.”

Battaglia said he hopes the court will restore him and the other Libertarian candidates to the ballot, but he plans to stay in the race regardless of “if they use lawfare to take me off the ballot.” He also said he personally worked to ensure his campaign was working in compliance with Iowa law, but that he understood there were mistakes were made in the 2024 nominating process by the party.

“When you transition (from) a non-party organization to a major party, there’s a lot of things that you have to pay attention to, and unfortunately, this is one of them that we missed by a few minutes,” Battaglia told reporters.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.

Robin Opsahl

Robin Opsahl is an Iowa Capital Dispatch reporter covering the state Legislature and politics. They have experience covering government, elections and more at media organizations including Roll Call, the Sacramento Bee and the Wausau Daily Herald.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom , the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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Adult Protective Services

Related topics:.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) goal is to maximize positive outcomes with dependent adults by protecting their well-being, empowering independence, and supporting their quality of life.

Dependent Adult Protective Services (APS) receives reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of dependent adults. Concerns of possible abuse are evaluated or assessed by HHS. The program endeavors to provide for the safety and protection of adults who are, or are suspected to be, victims of maltreatment. The program endeavors to make referrals to assist alleged victims and their families in locating community support to meet their needs. Iowa operates as a state-supervised and state-administered program with 5 service areas of field operation.

Who Qualifies?

Persons who meet the definition of ‘dependent adult,’ who have either been abused or neglected by a caretaker or have neglected themselves, are assessed by HHS.

‘Dependent adult’ means a person eighteen years of age or older who is unable to protect the person’s own interests or is unable to adequately perform or obtain services necessary to meet essential human needs, as a result of a physical or mental condition that requires assistance from another, or as defined by Department rule.

‘Caretaker’ means a related or non-related person who has the responsibility for the protection, care, or custody of a dependent adult as a result of assuming the responsibility voluntarily, by contract, through employment, or by order of the court. 

How to Apply

Protective Service Units are available in all  DHS County offices . You can call your local DHS office to make a referral or use the toll-free, hot line number, which is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 1-800-362-2178.

• Legal Assistance and Prevention
• Elder Abuse Prevention and Awareness Providers
• Elder Abuse Brochure (Comm. 704)
• Mandatory Reporter Training
• Suspected Dependent Adult Abuse Report (Form 470-2441)
• Record Check Evaluation (Form 470-2310)
• Evaluación de comprobación de registros (Form 470-2310S, versión en Español)
• Access to Confidential Abuse Information and Non-Redissemination Agreement (Form 470-3767)
• Request for Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Information (Form 470-0643)
• Authorization for Release of Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Information (Form 470-3301)
• Dependent Adult Abuse: A Guide for Mandatory Reporters (Comm. 118)

Handbook for Adult Guardians and Conservators  -  This Handbook is designed to provide information to guardians and conservators and is not intended to replace the advice of an attorney or requirements as stipulated by the laws of Iowa and addressed in the Iowa Code.  The information in this handbook focuses on guardianships and conservatorships for adults. This handbook does not address guardianships and conservatorships for minors.

External Resources

Fall prevention resources for older adults and caregivers from the iowa department of public health.

• Connect an older adult or an adult with disabilities to services from the Iowa Department of Aging and the Aging and Disability Resource Center

2022 Older Adult Mental Health Webinar Series

The impact of aging on cognitive functioning.

• The Impact of Aging on Cognitive Functioning 6.1.22 PPT
• Reframing Ageism 5.4.22 PPT
• The Importance of Social Well-Being for Aging Adults PPT
• Life Review
• Life Interview Questions
• Reframing Care from Caregiving to Care Partnerships PPT
• PTC Handouts  
• Living With Dignity: Appropriate Aging Settingsand Age Friendly Communities PPT
• Living With Dignity: Appropriate Aging Settingsand Age Friendly Communities - Daejin Kim PPT
• Using an Asset-Based Approach in Support of Age-Friendly Communities PPT

Adult Protective Services FAQs

What is dependent adult abuse.

Dependent Adult abuse includes:

• Physical injury to, or injury which is at a variance with the history given of the injury, or unreasonable confinement, unreasonable punishment, or assault of a dependent adult.
• The commission of a sexual offense under chapter 709 or section 726.2 with or against a dependent adult.
• Exploitation of a dependent adult which means the act or process of taking unfair advantage of a dependent adult or the adult’s physical or financial resources, without the informed consent of the dependent adult, including theft, by the use of undue influence, harassment, duress, deception, false representation, or false pretenses.
• The deprivation of the minimum food, shelter, clothing, supervision, physical or mental health care, or other care necessary to maintain a dependent adult’s life or health.
• The deprivation of the minimum food, shelter, clothing, supervision, physical or mental health care, and other care necessary to maintain a dependent adult’s life or health as a result of the acts or omissions of a dependent adult.
• Sexual exploitation of a dependent adult by a caretaker as defined in section 702.17.
• Personal Degradation of a dependent adult by a caretaker which means a willful act or statement by a caretaker intended to shame, degrade, humiliate, or otherwise harm the personal dignity of a dependent adult, or where the caretaker knew or reasonably should have known the act or statement would cause shame, degradation, humiliation, or harm to the personal dignity of a reasonable person.

How I do I report suspected dependent adult abuse?

This website is not a reporting site for dependent adult abuse.

Please contact 1-800-362-2178 to report dependent adult abuse.

• An employee of a financial institution may report suspected financial exploitation of a dependent adult to HHS.
• Any other person who believes that a dependent adult has suffered abuse may report the suspected abuse to the Department of Health and Human Services.

How and when to report suspected abuse?

• After hours, on weekends, or holidays, contact: 1-800-362-2178
• If you want to report any other abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect of a dependent adult, please call the HHS toll-free, hotline number, which is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 1-800-362-2178

What information do I need when making a report?

The following information is useful when making a report of suspected dependent adult abuse:

• Name and address of the alleged victim.
• A description of the alleged mistreatment and the situation; what did you observe?
• What is the nature and extent of the injury?
• Who is the alleged perpetrator; name and address if possible.
• Does the alleged perpetrator have access to the alleged victim?
• Any other information that you feel is relevant.
• Other information that will be helpful to provide when making the report includes:
• What prompted the call today?  Did something happen?
• How is the adult being mistreated?  When did you last see the adult?
• Does the adult have any medical or physical conditions that impair the adult's ability to provide for day-to-day needs?
• Does the adult have a diagnosed mental illness or show signs of a mental illness?
• Does the adult have any problems with memory, decision making, or understanding how to care for him/herself?
• Does the adult have any developmental, intellectual, or cognitive disability that is impairing the ability for self-care?
• Has there been any decline in the adult's ability to adequately do cooking, shopping, using available transportation, managing medications, or mobility?
• Is the adult working with any service providers to address his/her needs?  Any friends or family that is supportive?
• Have any actions been taken yet that address your concerns?

What can my family expect during the dependent adult assessment?

During the assessment, the social worker will ask to visit your home, speak with the dependent adult and caretakers, and other persons with relevant information to gather an understanding of what your household is experiencing.

• The social worker will work with the adult in need of care as well as with the household to assess safety and risk.
• After you help the social worker understand the unique strengths and needs of your situation, the social worker helps connect you and possibly your caretaker to services.
• Services at the conclusion of the assessment are typically voluntary.

What is elder abuse?

Elder abuse in Iowa is defined by the Older Americans Act and Iowa Code 235F. Elder abuse is identified by abuse, neglect or exploitation of an individual age 60 or older. The Elder Abuse Prevention & Awareness (EAPA) services are part of a service delivery system created through partnerships with local stakeholders including, but not limited to, Area Agencies on Aging, Adult Protective Services, law enforcement, county attorney’s, medical providers, and other community collaborators. 

The Elder Abuse Prevention and Awareness (EAPA) Program focuses on the: 

• Intervention
• Detection and 

 of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation by presenting older Iowans with options to enhance their lifestyle choices. To get in touch with your local Area Agency on Aging for more information about EAPA Services, contact Lifelong Links https://lifelonglinks.org/ at 866.468.7887.

Schedule Your Visit

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Select the day you would like to attend by clicking on the day of the calendar for your chosen visit day. All prospective students please register separately for a campus visit.

Please note - our visit opportunities are provided to prospective undergraduate students only. Prospective graduate students should contact their program directly to arrange a visit.

Campus Visit Calendar

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Upcoming Special Visits

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Questions about availability of visits?

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How a fringe online claim about immigrants eating pets made its way to the debate stage

Around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, tens of millions of television viewers watched as Donald Trump spread an unsubstantiated and racially charged rumor running wild online.

“In Springfield they’re eating dogs,” the former president said, referring to an Ohio city dealing with an influx of Haitian immigrants. “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating … the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

The extraordinary moment — the airing of a claim worthy of a chain email while participating in a prime-time presidential debate — probably puzzled most of the 67.1 million people tuned in for Trump’s clash with Vice President Kamala Harris. But the rumor, which has been criticized as perpetuating racist tropes, was already thriving in right-wing corners of the internet and being amplified by those close to Trump, including his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

No one involved in Trump’s debate preparations or in a position to speak for his campaign agreed to discuss the strategy on the record or answer questions about how it mutated from a fringe obsession to a debate stage sound bite. 

“Just, suffice to say, he was aware of it. He decided to bring it up,” Tim Murtaugh, a senior Trump adviser, told NBC News. “Now it’s a major story. We would otherwise probably not be talking about immigration if not for that.”

Others close to Trump expressed misgivings about the execution.

“Immigration should be talked about, because Harris as border czar has failed,” said a Trump adviser, who, like others, was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “Did that issue come out in the best way? Probably not. But it’s not something to be shied away from.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally from South Carolina, questioned the former president’s focus.  

“I don’t know about dogs and cats,” Graham said in an interview Thursday. “But there are numerous young women who have been raped and murdered by people who were in our custody here illegally, and we let them go. That’s what I’d be talking about. That should be the face of a broken immigration system, not cats and dogs.”

While the fallout has been a combination of bafflement and outrage, the makings of the moment are rooted in grievances that have long defined and animated Trump and his followers — and on the platforms where those grievances blossom.

Trump, who launched his first presidential campaign with a speech that broadly characterized Mexican immigrants as dangerous criminals, has kept immigration and border security issues central to his third White House bid. 

Meanwhile, the right-wing social media ecosystem that rose up around his 2016 run has calcified as an additive and disruptive force: Trump now has his own social media network , Truth Social, and ally Elon Musk controls X, formerly Twitter. Vance in particular has reveled in fighting the culture wars and other right-wing causes online and often assumes a trolling posture on X while acting as a filter of information between the fringe and the mainstream.

Vance and others close to Trump have argued that, even if the claims are false, they have served a purpose by pushing the Springfield story into the spotlight.

“The media didn’t care about the carnage wrought by these policies until we turned it into a meme about cats, and that speaks to the media’s failure to care about what’s going on in these communities,” Vance told CNN after Tuesday’s debate. “If we have to meme about it to get the media to care, we’re going to keep on doing it, because the media could, should, care about what’s going on.”

The issue in Springfield, about 45 miles from Columbus in southwest Ohio, involves thousands of Haitian immigrants who have settled in the city in recent years, many of them there legally under federal programs after having fled violence and political turmoil. Residents and political leaders, including Vance, have for months raised economic and public safety concerns, asserting that an influx of as many as 20,000 immigrants to a city that in 2020 counted a population of 59,000 has strained resources.

Claims about pets being abducted, slaughtered and eaten are more recent.  

Blood Tribe, a national neo-Nazi group, was among the early purveyors of the rumor in August, posting about it on Gab and Telegram, social networks popular with extremists. While the group’s leader has taken credit for Trump’s indulgence of the claims, Blood Tribe’s reach is unknown; its accounts on those sites have fewer than 1,000 followers.

Some Blood Tribe members also planned a couple of events in the real world, like a small Aug. 10 march in Springfield protesting Haitian immigration and an appearance at a city commission meeting later that month.

The rumor soon crossed over to mainstream social media, like Facebook and X. NewsGuard, a firm that monitors misinformation, traced the origins to an undated post from a private Facebook group that was shared in a screenshot posted to X on Sept. 5. 

“Remember when my hometown of Springfield Ohio was all over National news for the Haitians?” the user wrote. “I said all the ducks were disappearing from our parks? Well, now it’s your pets.”

Around that time, other social media posts about the rumor sprouted and went viral, some of them based in part on residents’ comments at public hearings . On Sept. 6, there were 1,100 posts on X mentioning Haitians, migrants or immigrants eating pets, cats, dogs and geese, according to PeakMetrics, a research company. The next day there were 9,100 — a 720% increase.

The number of posts spiked again Monday, to 47,000, when Vance advanced the rumor on X .

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote, referring to remarks he had made at a Senate hearing. “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”

Vance, as he noted in his post, had been raising the issue for months, but in less provocative terms. 

“Now go to Springfield, go to Clark County, Ohio, and ask the people there whether they have been enriched by 20,000 newcomers in four years,” he said in early July, before Trump selected him as his running mate, at NatCon, a right-wing nationalist conference. “Housing is through the roof. People, middle-class people in Springfield who have lived there sometimes for generations cannot afford a place to live.”

Soon after Vance’s post Monday, Springfield police officials told the Springfield News-Sun — and, later, NBC News and other national media — that they had received no credible reports of such incidents. Vance issued a follow-up post the next day, writing that his office had received reports of “pets or local wildlife” being “abducted by Haitian migrants.”

“It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false,” he added.

But by that point, Trump was fully on board with them. At 5:19 p.m. Tuesday, less than four hours before his debate with Harris, Trump posted to Truth Social a meme showing cats armed for war and wearing MAGA hats. Fifteen minutes later, he shared a second meme depicting him surrounded by cats and ducks. 

Then came the debate. When moderator David Muir of ABC News asked about his opposition to a bipartisan border bill, a distracted Trump first insisted on responding to a jab Harris had landed about people leaving his campaign rallies early. His meandering answer eventually turned to Springfield, where, he said, “they’re eating dogs … and cats.”

Discomfort and disapproval from Trump’s fellow Republicans were soon palpable.

“I want to be clear on this. That is a very minor, minor issue happening in the United States,” Rep. Byron Donalds, a Trump loyalist from Florida, told NBC News when asked about the pets remark in the post-debate spin room.

Those looking for someone to blame offered several suspects. Laura Loomer, a right-wing political activist and conspiracy theorist who had been posting about the rumor, traveled with Trump to the debate Tuesday. 

“Why do you want to speak to me? I don’t work for President Trump,” Loomer responded when reached by NBC News.

Loomer and Trump did not speak on the plane ride, a source familiar with the trip said. And a Trump aide noted that Loomer “is not a member of our staff.”

“The president is the most well-read man in America, and he has a pulse on everything that is going on,” the aide added. 

The Springfield rumor “made it to his desk. He was made aware of what these residents were saying.”

Others focused their suspicions on Vance, given how he had forced the issue into the spotlight.

“It’s all JD,” a source linked to the campaign said.

Another source close to Trump’s campaign said Trump and Vance did not discuss the Springfield issue ahead of the debate.

“I don’t know what he was thinking,” a different Trump ally said of his choice to bring up the Springfield rumor unprompted. 

The blame, this person said, solely rests with Trump.

“You don’t prep Donald Trump,” the ally added. “You can make suggestions.”

Henry J. Gomez is a senior national political reporter for NBC News

Brandy Zadrozny is a senior reporter for NBC News. She covers misinformation, extremism and the internet.

Allan Smith is a political reporter for NBC News.

Julie Tsirkin is a correspondent covering Capitol Hill.