Donald Trump's recent statement about a potential "bloodbath" if he loses in the November elections has stirred up widespread controversy.
While the former US President has been catching flak for his remarks, individuals like Elon Musk and former Trump chief of staff Mick Mulvaney have defended him, further intensifying the debate surrounding Trump's statements.
Trump made these remarks during a campaign event for Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in Ohio. The event was organised by Buckeye Values PAC, a group that supports Moreno's candidacy.
Here’s the whole clip of Donald Trump talking about the bloodbath. pic.twitter.com/pu8M35B5MR
— Molly Pitcher (@AmericanMama86) March 17, 2024
When Trump took the stage, he said, "If I get elected, every car crossing the line will face a 100 per cent tariff, and those guys won't be able to sell them... Now, if I don't get elected, a bloodbath for the whole country will be the least of it."
With Trump facing criticism for his remarks, his campaign claims he was talking about nationwide violence if he lost the election in 2024. According to Trump's campaign, he was only expressing concerns about the potential damage to the auto industry.
As expected, video of his comments took the internet by storm, eliciting a response from US President Joe Biden's campaign. They labelled him a "loser" at the ballot box in 2020 who is now "doubling down on his threats of political violence."
Biden-Harris campaign statement on Trump tonight promising a “bloodbath” if he loses pic.twitter.com/8mBYh4QKnf
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) March 17, 2024
In response to the Biden administration's criticism of his comment, Trump posted a short clip on Instagram with the caption, "BIDEN'S BORDER BLOODBATH." The video, which highlighted challenges faced by immigrants, was reshared on X by @TeamTrump.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also criticised Trump, remarking, "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?"
Elon Musk defends Donald Trump
Defending Trump amid the controversy, Elon Musk urged people to use X (formerly Twitter) to avoid being misled by what he called the "legacy media." The X owner accused media outlets of taking Trump's comments out of context.
Taking to his social media platform, Musk criticised the media for allegedly lying about Trump's remarks regarding a potential "bloodbath" if he lost the election. Unsurprisingly, Musk's defence of Trump raised some eyebrows and sparked more debate about Trump's statement and the media's role in shaping public reaction.
Legacy media lies https://t.co/3yQHajk5BE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 17, 2024
X user Shibetoshi Nakamoto criticised legacy media journalists in a post on X, urging them to stop lying and misleading their agenda if they don't want to be seen as dishonest and untrustworthy. Nakamoto suggested they should instead show integrity in their reporting.
i have a thought
— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) March 17, 2024
if legacy media journalists don’t like being seen as disingenuous and untrustworthy hacks
i think maybe it would help if they stopped lying and misleading for their own agendas all the time and actually exhibited integrity
but what do i know
Musk recently told former CNN host Don Lemon that he is "leaning away" from supporting Biden in the presidential race. He also shared a meme featuring grey cartoon characters with a speech bubble saying "bloodbath."
Easy to tell who is an NPC today pic.twitter.com/8u6IcUrehE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 17, 2024
"Easy to tell who is an NPC today," Musk wrote, referring to a "nonplayable character" in gaming terms. In another post, the billionaire criticised the media's coverage: "Over time, the newspapers have been fading away in relevance. Not gone, just as writing and mailing paper letters still happens, but no longer the way most people know what's going on."
Over time the newspapers have been fading away in relevance.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 18, 2024
Not gone, just as writing and mailing paper letters still happens, but no longer the way most people know what’s going on. https://t.co/wddHGdDOqF
Notably, Musk has openly embraced conservative politics following his acquisition of Twitter. He has previously accused Biden of importing migrants for votes, suggesting it could lead to "something far worse than 9/11."
Similarly, Mulvaney expressed disappointment in the media's failure to provide context when reporting Trump's "bloodbath" comment. Trump clarified that his remark referred to Chinese automakers trying to exploit Mexico to transport cars into the United States.
He further emphasised that Trump was discussing issues within the American automotive industry. However, he noted that Trump's choice of words might not have been appropriate, saying, "The language itself is unpresidential."
Rep. Mike Turner and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) also believe Trump was referring to the auto industry. "With regard to the autoworkers that he was talking to, he is showing them, or he's telling them what has been an economic downturn for them," Rounds stated during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union.
