A South African musician who found inspiration behind a now-viral quote from former President Donald Trump during last week’s presidential debate gained traction online after turning it into a catchy remix, with proceeds going to the SPCA.
David Scott, also known as Kiffness, told Newsweek via email that he watched highlights of the debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris last week. He said there is “vested interest” in American politics because it has a ripple effect in his home country. Plus he has family members in the United States and a large portion of his fan base lives there.
But one moment from the debate stuck out to him and his fans: Trump’s false claim that Haitian migrants are stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump said: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs—the people that came in. They’re eating the cats.”
Kiffness fans started forwarding Scott the clip and asked him to remix it. He took the quote and immediately got to work.
“My initial desire to remix the quote was because I thought it was amusing and outlandish, but I also recognized the melodic element to the statement,” he said. “I decided to give it a shot and I had the basic idea for the song in a matter of minutes.”
By Friday afternoon, the parody “Eating the Cats” was uploaded to his YouTube account, The Kiffness, and the views rolled in. The remix racked in nearly 5 million views within five days and currently sits at No. 4 on the trending music channel.
The song begins with Trump’s quote from the debate with Scott adding a reggaeton flare.
“People of Springfield, please don’t eat my cat,” the lyrics begin. “Why would you do that? Eat something else.”
Screenshots from a September 13 YouTube video of musician Kiffness remixing a quote from Donald Trump during the presidential debate. The song is called “Eating the Cats.”
The Kiffness/YouTube
Scott jokingly offers different food options for Springfield residents to eat, including bread, eggs and carrots. And to round out the song, he included dog howls and meows.
Scott will donate proceeds from the song to the Clark County SPCA in Springfield. As of Tuesday night, the song brought in $16,000 from YouTube alone. A more accurate number of the total raised will be updated once the streaming platform numbers roll in, he said.
“We’ve been in touch with Krissi Hawke, the Clark County SPCA president,” Scott said. “They’re very happy about the funding that the song will provide, as they rely heavily on donations to keep their operation going….Krissi said she was crying before she saw my video and then when she saw it, she had a good laugh.”
Newsweek reached out to the Clark County SPCA for additional comment.
“As a South African, I am non-partisan,” he said. “Whatever your political affiliation may be, music and animals unite us and that is what I’m trying to do with this song. My prayer for the U.S. is that the elections are free and fair. May God bless America.”
Following the debate, Trump’s quote quickly circulated online as people began using the sound bite to poke fun at the debunked claim.
Some TikTok users created videos of their pets “reacting” to the quote, while others pretended to put their animals on the grill or in ovens and pots as if they were about to prepare a meal.
