President Donald Trump is facing backlash from legacy media outlets and the Biden-Harris campaign for remarks he made during a rally in Ohio this weekend.
Trump, who recently surpassed the required number of delegates to secure the GOP nomination, predicted that there would be a “bloodbath” if he does not win a second term in the upcoming 2024 election.
But the media is facing criticism for taking Trump’s words out of context and portraying them in a sensationalist manner. Trump was in the middle of talking about the auto industry and its relationship with China when he made the remark.
“China now is building a couple of massive plants where they’re going to build the cars in Mexico…Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country,” Trump said.
The former president addressed the issue of Chinese-made cars being sold in the United States without being taxed. He warned China that if he was not re-elected, he would impose a 100% tariff on these cars, which would greatly impact the American auto industry.
“China now is building a couple of massive plants where they’re going to build the cars in Mexico and think, they think, that they’re going to sell those cars into the United States with no tax at the border,” Trump said.
Trump added, “No. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it.” Trump then continued talking about cars and factories.
But the media chose to conveniently leave out the context of Trump’s statement and focus only on the word “bloodbath.” The media headline read, “Trump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election,” implying that Trump was predicting violence and unrest if he is not re-elected.
Biden-Harris campaign statement on Trump tonight promising a “bloodbath” if he loses pic.twitter.com/8mBYh4QKnf
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) March 17, 2024
Various individuals, including leftist activist Matt Stoller and former Congressman Denver Riggelman, called out this misleading reporting. They pointed out that Trump was talking about an economic disaster, not violence if he is not re-elected.
Stoller said, “This statement is a straight-up lie. Trump was talking about what would happen to the domestic auto industry without tariffs on Chinese cars made in Mexico.”
Riggelman, who has been critical of Trump, said on X, “In a speech today, Trump refers to a ‘bloodbath’ if he doesn’t [win]. In context, he is referring to a ‘bloodbath’ economically for the auto industry if he’s not elected— I watched the entire portion.”
In fact, in one definition, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “bloodbath” as “a major economic disaster,” which aligns with what Trump was discussing.
But the media and the Biden-Harris campaign continued to push this false narrative. They released a statement condemning Trump’s supposed call for violence without acknowledging the context of his remark.
This blatant misrepresentation of Trump’s words is an example of the biased and dishonest reporting that has become all too common in today’s mainstream media. Instead of accurately reporting the news, they choose to twist and sensationalize to further their own agenda.
We are witnessing the invention of the “bloodbath” hoax in real-time
Unfortunately for them, we have 𝕏
Media narrative: Full context: pic.twitter.com/jaYDvtGomn
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 17, 2024
The truth is that Trump was warning American voters about the disastrous consequences that would follow if Biden’s policies allow China to gain control of the auto industry. As Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, said, “Joe Biden is allowing China to take over the car industry, and Americans are being laid off left and right. It is an economic disaster that only President Donald Trump can turn around.”
