Former President Donald Trump is facing intense backlash on social media for sharing a video featuring Maga-branded pickup trucks, which prominently displayed an image depicting President Joe Biden kidnapped and restrained in the back.
The video has sparked allegations that the Republican candidate is "encouraging political violence" in the lead-up to the presidential election, amidst a rising tide of inflammatory rhetoric.
"This image from Donald Trump is the type of garbage you post when you're calling for a bloodbath or when you tell the Proud Boys to 'stand back and stand by,'" Michael Tyler, the communications director for the Biden campaign was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
He further stated, "Trump consistently incites political violence, and it's crucial for people to recognize this – just ask the Capitol police officers who were assaulted while defending our democracy on January 6,", alluding to the Right-wing group implicated in the 2021 Capitol attack.
According to the caption, the image was captured in Long Island, New York, on Thursday, when Trump attended the wake of a New York City police officer who was fatally shot during a traffic stop. The video shared shows a passing truck adorned with "Trump 2024" signage and flags expressing support for law enforcement. Notably, the rear of the vehicle displayed a painted image of Biden with his hands and feet bound.
Former US attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Joyce Alene White Vance, also took to X and wrote that the Secret Service should take the incident seriously and that Trump's post was "totally out of bounds".
"I know from experience how the Secret Service interacts with people who make threats against Potus, even ones they can't carry out," she wrote on X.
I know from experience how the Secret Service interacts with people who make threats against POTUS, even ones they can't carry out. This, from a former President, is totally out of bounds. It's time to stop letting Trump break the rules. Long past time. https://t.co/fZ0r0KcaGy
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) March 29, 2024
In response, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, "That image was displayed on the back of a pickup truck traveling along the highway."
"Democrats and extremist individuals have not only advocated for reprehensible violence against President Trump and his family, but they are also actively exploiting the legal system against him," reported The Sky.
This isn't the first time the former president has shared posts containing violent imagery featuring his political opponents.
Previously, before facing indictment in New York over hush money paid on his behalf during his 2016 campaign, Trump posted a photo on social media showing himself holding a baseball bat next to a picture of District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
In 2017, Trump shared a manipulated video of himself hitting a golf ball at Hillary Clinton, causing her to fall. He also shared a similar video featuring Mr. Biden in October last year.
