SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy slammed the legacy media's fixation on a "fringe aspect" of the real turmoil facing Springfield, Ohio as a result of the influx of Haitian migrants.
"I think that there is a temptation, social media included, but traditional media included as well, to pick on some fringe aspect of a really important discussion," Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital during a press gaggle Thursday. "So when people are having, exchanging heated thoughts about an important subject affecting Americans, they're going to say things in a way that wasn't practiced, rehearsed or tested through consultant-vetting and filters. And I think that's a good thing. I think it's better that we make mistakes of saying maybe too much that's raw, rather than self-censoring and saying too much."
"And I think the media in this particular case has latched on to some fringe elements of that discussion, right? Some side topics that really are not close to the most important issue here and have used that to sweep under the rug actual real challenges created by, not small, but mass migration to this community," he continued.
The Ohio native and Donald Trump supporter pointed to the estimated 20,000 people that have arrived in Springfield with a population of roughly 60,000, stressing that such an influx has strained the city's resources and affected their school and health care systems, as well as social services.
"That is real. That's not an issue that you can sweep under the rug just by … airlifting some word that someone said and pretend like that's the real story while actually failing to focus on the actual real story. So that's one of my goals from this visit," Ramaswamy added before his town hall.
When asked whether former President Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, bear any responsibility for shifting the focus away from the key issues, Ramaswamy responded by stressing that the issues plaguing Springfield had been occurring long before Trump's debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, where his inflammatory accusation about Haitians went viral.
HAITIAN INFLUX CAUSING ONE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AMONG SPRINGFIELD RESIDENTS
That said, he saw the optimism that the federal policies of the Biden-Harris administration are finally getting attention after "nobody" in the media was talking about them.
"And in the last two weeks, we are talking about it. Maybe not in exactly the way that will help solve the problem yet, but I hope that now this will move us to a stage in the dialog where we will get actual constructive solutions," Ramaswamy said.
Springfield has been hit with a tidal wave of national media coverage as the city's struggles with the migrant crisis have become a wedge issue in the 2024 race.
Ramaswamy, who grew up in Ohio, arrived at City Hall to participate in meetings with Haitian community leaders, as well as city officials, before hosting a town hall with Springfield residents.
Many residents raised concerns about safety and crime in Springfield and accused city officials of not caring about the plight of their constituents. Ramaswamy defended city officials, based on his takeaway from his meeting with some of them.
"I actually think they do care, at least the subset I met with," Ramaswamy said. "But I will tell you what I do see happening in the country. I think there's a culture of fear, actually. I think the reason they're not here tonight is not because they don't care about this, it's because they're scared."
"These are just good, patriotic Americans who love their country and city who are struggling, because the people who they elected to run their federal government all the way down have let them down. And you don't have to be scared of actually being face to face with your fellow citizens," he added.
Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
