Former President Donald Trump's comments at a recent Ohio rally have sparked a firestorm of controversy, with prominent conservatives accusing several media outlets of taking his words out of context. The uproar centers around Trump's warning of a potential "bloodbath" if he doesn't win re-election, which critics claim was presented in headlines without the necessary context of his reference to the automotive industry.
During his speech in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday, Trump addressed Communist Chinese leader Xi Jinping, threatening to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese-made cars sold to Americans if he is elected. Immediately after, the former president said, "Now if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole - that's gonna be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it."
Media outlets such as Rolling Stone, NBC News, CBS News, Politico, and NPR reported on the quote, sharing headlines that simply stated Trump warned of a "bloodbath" if he didn't win, without mentioning the context of his remarks about the auto industry. This prompted a strong backlash from conservatives on social media, who accused the media of manufacturing a new, anti-Trump "hoax."
Billionaire and X owner Elon Musk criticized NBC News' headline, calling it "deceptive." He tweeted, "This headline is deceptive, as he was referring to the auto industry. Shame on NBC." Conservative commentator and author Sean Parnell echoed Musk's sentiment, posting, "NBC pushing the bloodbath hoax now. Unreal. These 'news' agencies need a complete overhaul. They are no different than state run media propaganda."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., shared a post highlighting the alleged media bias and commented, "The Democrats and the media lie constantly about what Pres Trump says. They twist his phrases and sarcasm and tell the public he said something he did not. When Trump said there will be a bloodbath if Biden wins, he was talking about the auto industry and he's RIGHT!"
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, also defended Trump, posting, "Donald Trump said that a bloodbath would happen to the American auto industry if Biden kept on promoting Chinese made EVs. He of course is 100 percent correct. All other reporting about his 'bloodbath' comment is complete propaganda. The media should be ashamed."
Trump's campaign spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, clarified the former president's comments when asked by NBC News, stating, "Biden's policies will create an economic bloodbath for the auto industry and autoworkers."
The controversy surrounding Trump's remarks at the Ohio rally comes as President Joe Biden took aim at the former president's mental stability at the Gridiron club dinner in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. Biden joked, "One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president. The other one is me. Don't tell him. He thinks he's running against Barack Obama, that's what he said."
During his speech, Trump also made verbal gaffes, struggling to pronounce words and confusing the crowd by insisting that Biden had beaten "Barack Hussein Obama" in elections that never took place. He also faced criticism for his comments on immigrants, calling some of them "animals" and stating, "I don't know if you call them people. They're not people, in my opinion."
Democratic former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned Trump's comments during a Sunday appearance on CNN's State of the Union, saying, "You wouldn't even allow him in your house, much less then the White House. We just have to win this election, because he's even predicting a bloodbath. What does that mean, he's going to exact a bloodbath? There's something wrong here."
