The Kiffness, real name David Scott, made a parody song about Donald Trump’s debate claim that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the pets”. By Thursday it had been viewed millions of times, but Meta blocked it because The Kiffness “had no rights or licence to Trump’s voice“. Picture: David Ritchie
MARK Zuckerberg might have stolen the laughs of millions around the globe by blocking people from watching the music video “Eating the Cats”, a Donald Trump parody created by South African musician The Kiffness.
On Thursday The Kiffness, real name David Scott, who is on a tour of Europe with his band, posted a message on X in which he questioned the reasons behind the move.
“I can confirm that Meta has taken ‘Eating the Cats’ off their platform because they told my distributor I didn’t have the rights or license to use Trump’s voice.
“Why would they specifically target my remix while there’s an entire catalogue of other remixes to eat?” he tweeted.
Eating the Cats is based on a statement made by former US president Trump during a debate with US vice-president and democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the run-up to the November 5 elections.
When one of the event’s moderators asked Trump about immigration, he started rambling on about refugees from Haiti whom he accused of eating pets in Springfield, a city in Clark County, Ohio.
“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating – they are eating the pets of the people that live there,” said Trump.
The Kiffness, known for his punchy remixes and unique collaborations with people around the world, was first out of the starting blocks and within days had recorded a song about Trump’s comments, which instantly went viral. By Thursday, it had been viewed more than 8.7 million times on YouTube alone, with many millions more watching it on other social media platforms.
“People of Springfield please don’t eat my cat. Why would you do that? Eat something else,” he sings.
The Kiffness then holds up a chart with other food options like broccoli, avocados and eggs.
The catchy tune ‒ an instant ear worm ‒ is replete with barks and meows and includes Harris’s incredulous look at Trump’s statement.
The Kiffness initially thought it might not be a good idea to sing about politics during the current tour but that’s what the crowd wanted to hear. In Berlin, every time he barked, the crowd roared back with meows. So far thousands of dollars have been raised by streaming the song with the proceeds going to the Clark County SPCA, which serves Springfield in Ohio.
Last week the artist also posted an open letter to news agencies reporting on the song.
“I am flattered that my song is being played around the world, but please stop assuming the intentions behind the song.
“Any news agency telling you any motive other than the fact that the song is raising funds for the SPCA in Springfield Ohio is lying.
“They aim to divide opinion. I aim to unite everyone behind a common cause.”
Despite being widely mocked for the claims, it hasn’t stopped Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, from repeating the myth over and over.
Springfield’s mayor, police, Ohio’s Republican governor and the woman who first posted about her suspicions when her cat went missing (later found in her basement) have denied or publicly apologised for the storm.
The Haitian community in the city has filed charges against Trump and Vance over the threats to their community because of the claims.
The Independent on Saturday thought it would be kiff to chat to The Kiffness and sent a request for an interview. Although it hasn’t happened yet, we don’t think it’s something to bark about.
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