Predicting a “bloodbath” in the event of an election defeat may once have been the stuff of resignations. From Donald Trump's mouth, this is a classic Saturday. Once again, the Republican made the country boil with a statement.
Donald Trump has become a master at playing jump rope with the limits of what can be said.
Especially in his election campaign appearances, the Republican presidential candidate is at his populist best again and again. Cheered on by thousands and thousands of frenetically cheering fans, the entertainer reels off his greatest hits: everything from the swansong for a corrupt left-wing elite to the political witch hunt for himself. It's his safe space for rushing, his regular table in the spotlight.
Donald Trump in Ohio: about Chinese cars and bloodbaths
This was also the case at Ohio State on the weekend. Actually, Trump only came to the town of Vandalia to drum up support for his party colleague Bernie Moreno, whom he would like to see in the Senate in Washington. But during his speech, the 77-year-old went overboard. First he saluted the violent perpetrators of the Capitol storm on January 6, 2021 – according to him, “hostages” and “incredible patriots” whom he would free.
But the excitement of the day was different. “If I'm not elected, there will be a bloodbath overall, that will be the least, it will be a bloodbath for the country.” His party later backtracked – their candidate had meant an economic bloodbath. Trump had actually used the word in connection with China's alleged plans to build cars in Mexico and then sell them to the United States. Something like that would never become a reality with him as president; he would impose 100 percent tariffs on Chinese cars.
But the storm of indignation was not long in coming, context or not.
Conservatives accuse the media of influencing opinions
The team around President Joe Biden, who is running again, accused Trump of bringing about another January 6th. Of course, the Grand Old Party tried hard to put the genie back in the bottle. Conservatives accused media outlets like CNN and NBC of taking Trump's statement out of context. “Biden's policies will cause an economic bloodbath for the auto industry and auto workers,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
Several Republicans, including Senators Mike Rounds and Billy Cassidy, tried to put Trump's words in perspective. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is increasingly moving closer to Trump, also attacked the media. “This headline is misleading as it referred to the auto industry. Shame on NBC,” he tweeted:
Republicans: “Bloodbath” is a matter of definition
Trump's rhetoric was borderline “depending on your perspective,” admitted Senator Cassidy, who was once one of only seven Republican senators to vote for impeachment – and thus against Trump.
Now the definition of the word bloodbath can also be interpreted as an economic disaster, says Cassidy. The vaguer of two definitions in the Cambridge Dictionary is: “a very bad situation in which a lot of harm is caused.” By the way, in German you would need a lot more imagination. The only definition according to Duden: “bloody conflict between enemy groups in which a large number of (innocent or defenseless) people are killed”.
But even if Trump actually feels misunderstood and he has “only” promised economic chaos: As an entertainer, the “Make America Great Again” man of course knows what words can do. The question also arises as to how many MAGA disciples listen to Trump with a dictionary in their arms.
Sources: “Politico”; “Fox News”; CNN; “New York Magazine”
