Trump warned at an election rally of a "bloodbath" if he is not elected (Reuters)

WASHINGTON - Merriam-

Webster's famous dictionary defines "blood bath" in two ways, the first as "a great slaughter - a fierce, violent, or destructive rivalry or struggle," while the second definition refers to it as "a major economic disaster."

The vast majority of American media chose to use the first definition when referring to what Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump said at a massive election rally in Ohio.

Trump said, "It will be a bloodbath for the country. This will be the least of it, but they will not sell those cars here. They are building huge factories." Trump's words came in the context of his talk about imposing huge customs tariffs on Chinese cars seeking to enter the American market.

Democrat Nancy Pelosi warned that Trump's prediction of a "bloodbath" means there will be a bloodbath (Reuters)

Democrats are attacking

"This is Donald Trump, the loser who lost by more than 7 million votes," James Singer, spokesman for President Joe Biden's re-election campaign, said in a statement.

He added, "Instead of working to attract voters to him, he is doubling down on his threats of political violence. He wants another January 6, but the American people will give him another electoral defeat in November, because he continues to reject his extremism, his passion for violence, and his thirst for revenge."

In an interview with CNN on Sunday morning, former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi warned of the implications of Trump's prediction of a "bloodbath" if he is not elected.

JUST IN: Nancy Pelosi races to CNN to lie about Donald Trump and promote the "bloodbath" hoax.

The face of evil.

"He's predicting an evening bloodbath. What does that mean? He's going to exact a bloodbath. There's something wrong here."

“How respectfully I am of the American people… pic.twitter.com/520e76K2lS

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 17, 2024

"Trump predicted a bloodbath, what does that mean? There will be a bloodbath. There is something wrong here," Pelosi said. "I respect the American people and their kindness, but how much of Trump must he see to understand that he does not reflect the values ​​of our country? He is praising Hitler. He is praising "Russians."

Republicans are defending

Trump's allies quickly jumped to his defense, insisting that he was only talking about the potential devastation of the auto industry if he lost the election, not about violence and blood in general.

Trying to clarify the former president's comment, Trump campaign spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt told NBC that "Biden's policies will create an economic bloodbath for the auto industry and auto workers."

Senator Bill Cassidy (Republican from Louisiana) said in a television interview on Sunday morning that Trump’s statements about the possibility of a “bloodbath” if he is not re-elected is what makes some voters concerned about a second term in office, referring to the possibility of re-election. Biden's election.

But he added that the media goes "too far" in covering the statements, saying that Trump's words could have been taken as a warning of an economic "bloodbath", instead of calling for political violence, considering that "the mainstream media contributes to the confusion" as " They distort what he says."

Trump: Now, If I don't get elected, it's gonna be a bloodbath.

It's going to be a bloodbath for the country.

pic.twitter.com/qDEPTtl4Bu

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 16, 2024

By the same principle, Republican Senator Mike Rounds considered that "Trump's bloodbath is related to the American auto industry. He was speaking to auto workers, showing them or telling them about the economic downturn that could happen to them."

Republican Representative Mike Turner also rejected the White House's argument that former President Donald Trump threatened political violence during his rally in Ohio with his comments about there being a "bloodbath" if he was not elected, stressing that Trump was talking about the auto industry, and that his words were taken out of context.

Alex Pfeiffer, Trump campaign spokesman, said, “Joe Biden is allowing China to control the auto industry, and Americans are being laid off left and right. It is an economic disaster that only President Donald Trump can change.”

On the X platform, its owner, Elon Musk, tweeted in defense of former President Trump, and said that the media is lying.

Legacy media lies https://t.co/3yQHajk5BE

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 17, 2024

Meanwhile, commentator Ian Mills Cheung pointed out that the media took Trump's words out of context, and tweeted on the "The media. They're all running with the same lie."

Cheung attached pictures from the websites of The New York Times, CNN, NBC, and others, indicating fallacies and not mentioning the context of Trump's speech.

Source: Al Jazeera