Trump in recent weeks has amplified a false claim that has gone viral that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing residents' pets or taking wildlife from parks for food.
There have been no credible reports of Haitians eating pets, and officials in Ohio - including Republicans - have repeatedly said the story is untrue.
At a town hall hosted by Univision, an undecided Latino Republican voter from Arizona, a battleground state, asked Trump whether he truly believed that immigrants were eating pets.
"I was just saying what was reported. All I do is report," Trump replied during the event held in Miami. "I was there, I'm going to be there and we're going to take a look."
Trump fielded questions about topics like immigration, guns and abortion. (AP PHOTO)
Trump added that "newspapers" had also reported on the claim, without naming any or providing any details.
Earlier Trump called himself the "father of IVF" as he tried to convince the crucial voting bloc they can trust him on reproductive issues.
Trump, who is trailing Democrat Kamala Harris in popularity among women voters ahead of the US election, suggested he was eager to discuss the issue at an all-women event hosted by Fox News in Georgia. The state is among a handful likely to decide the election.
"I want to talk about IVF. I'm the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question," he said.
Hearing that some women were concerned about possible restrictions on fertility treatments, Trump touted his party's support for the procedure, even though some conservative Republicans do not support in vitro fertilisation.
Senate Republicans blocked Democratic-led legislation designed to protect IVF access twice in recent months, with some Republicans arguing the legislation is unnecessary as IVF access is not in danger.
Harris, when asked about Trump's comments, told reporters: "The reality is his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America on this issue."
Trump also fielded questions about immigration, guns and abortion, including whether he agrees with his wife Melania whose says in a new memoir that she supports abortion rights.
Trump said he encourages Melania to support what she wants to support - and plugged the book.
Kamala Harris defended Joe Biden's mental fitness during an interview on Fox News. (EPA PHOTO)
Harris was grilled in a TV interview on Wednesday on the Biden administration's efforts to tackle a surge in illegal immigration at the southern border, and laid the blame on Republicans for failing to pass a border bill.
In a combative interview with Fox News host Bret Baier, Harris was also pressed to defend US President Joe Biden's mental fitness, her years as vice president and previous support of gender-affirming surgery for transgender inmates.
Harris and Baier frequently talked over each other and Harris grew visibly frustrated. She was asked to defend the administration's early decision to reverse some of Trump's restrictive policies, and to respond to a mother who testified in Congress about the loss of her daughter at the hands of an illegal immigrant.
"I'm so sorry for her loss, but let's talk about what is happening right now," Harris said.
She said Trump told Republicans to reject a bipartisan immigration bill because "he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem."
Asked about her recent comment that there was "not a thing" she would change about the actions of the Biden administration, Harris said: "Let me be very clear, my presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency," but did not provide specifics.
Harris was pressed about her previous vouching for Biden's mental fitness for office before he ended his re-election campaign in July.
Biden has the "judgment" and "experience" to be president, she said, while questioning Trump's fitness for office.
She was pressed on her position on using taxpayer funds for gender-affirming surgery for transgender inmates, including those who are undocumented.
"I will follow the law," she said a few times, noting that the US Bureau of Prisons provided gender-affirming treatments under Trump. She accused him of "throwing stones when you live in a glass house."
The nearly 30-minute interview marked the first time Harris has appeared on the media network as a presidential candidate. Within minutes of the interview's end, the Trump campaign released a statement calling it a "train wreck."
Reuters
