Among the most controversial comments Donald Trump made over the weekend were the former president’s dehumanizing anti-immigrant rhetoric, including the Republican’s willingness to reiterate his support for Hitler-like phrasing about immigrants “poisoning the blood” of the United States.
But those weren’t the only comments from the last couple of days that raised eyebrows. NBC News reported:
Former President Donald Trump vowed on Saturday that there would be a “bloodbath” if he’s not re-elected in November. The comments came at a rally [near Dayton, Ohio] as Trump discussed the possibility of an increasing trade war with China over auto manufacturing.
A variety of observers, including the presumptive GOP nominee himself, have emphasized the fact that his “bloodbath” comments came as part of a rhetorical riff on the auto industry, so let’s pay particular attention to the context.
“If you’re listening, President Xi — and you and I are friends — but he understands the way I deal. Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now … you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us, no. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected,” Trump 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,” he added. “It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars.
So, was Trump talking only about the economy and the automotive industry when he made reference to a “bloodbath”?
A Politico report summarized this in a way I found compelling: “In the speech, he was talking about the auto industry and the potential for economic losses against China. That’s a fair point. But we’d note he also said, ‘That’s going to be the least of…
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