During a rousing Saturday rally in Ohio, President Donald Trump addressed concerns regarding the future of the American automotive sector under a possible second term for Joe Biden.
Trump pointed to China’s strategic moves in the auto industry, stating, “China now is building a couple of massive plants where they’re gonna build the cars in Mexico, and they think that they’re gonna sell those cars into the United States.” He pointed out the dire economic implications if such activities continued unchecked, advocating for a hefty tariff on imported cars to protect American jobs.
However, the substance of Trump’s message was lost in translation as it moved through the channels of various media outlets and the official communications of the Biden-Harris campaign. An out-of-context clip circulated by Biden HQ on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, ominously trimmed Trump’s words to, “If I don’t get elected, it’s gonna be a bloodbath. It’s gonna be a bloodbath for the country.” This edit neglected to reveal that Trump’s use of “bloodbath” referred explicitly to the potential economic devastation within the U.S. auto industry, not to any form of physical violence.
‘Complete Propaganda’: Media And Biden Campaign Blasted Over Coverage Of Trump’s ‘Bloodbath’ Prediction https://t.co/mgWwapZ7K3 pic.twitter.com/19FL5E37Pj
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) March 17, 2024
The misrepresentation did not stop there. Legacy media outlets, including Politico and NBC News, amplified the misleading narrative, framing Trump’s comment as a dark, violent threat rather than a warning of economic decline. Politico ambiguously reported, “While it was unclear what the former president meant exactly, the remarks came as Trump was complaining about the automobile industry.” This statement, coupled with other similar reports, fueled an unfounded narrative that Trump was promoting violence rather than discussing policy.
The backlash from conservative circles was swift and severe. Critics pointed out the blatant misinterpretation of Trump’s words. Denver Riggelman, a former congressman, clarified on X, “In a speech today Trump refers to a ‘bloodbath’ if he doesn’t win. In context, he is referring to a ‘bloodbath’ economically for the auto industry if he’s 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 even predicting a bloodbath. What does that mean? He's going to exact a bloodbath. There's something wrong here.”
“How respectful I am of the American people… pic.twitter.com/520e76K2lS
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 17, 2024
Similarly, Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, issued a memo titled “Biden And The Media Team Up To Spread A Desperate Lie,” where Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the group, condemned Biden’s stance on China’s growing influence in the auto industry, stating, “It is an economic disaster that only President Donald Trump can turn around.”
In addition to the narrative hoax about a “bloodbath” the media is also lying about what Donald Trump said at his speech yesterday with regard to immigrants, by divorcing his remarks from context when he says some of them are “not people.”
Trump is very clearly referring to… pic.twitter.com/YeZ00u1tGq
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 17, 2024
Prominent figures like Elon Musk and conservative commentator Sean Parnell criticized the deceptive reporting. Musk wrote on his X platform: “Legacy media lies. All other reporting about his ‘bloodbath’ comment is complete propaganda.” Parnell wrote. “NBC pushing the bloodbath hoax now. Unreal. These ‘news’ agencies need a complete overhaul. They are no different than state-run media propaganda.”
The media is lying about Donald Trump with this narrative about a “bloodbath” if he loses the election. He was very clearly talking about the car manufacturing industry—before and after he used the word.
You have to be extremely disingenuous to take what he’s saying out of… pic.twitter.com/qhctYGpi7K
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 17, 2024
Right-wing commentator Ian Miles Cheong wrote on X Sunday morning: “The media is lying about Donald Trump with this narrative about a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election. He was very clearly talking about the car manufacturing industry — before and after he used the word. You have to be extremely disingenuous to take what he’s saying out of context, and that’s exactly what the media is doing. They’re all running with the same lie.”
The distortion of Trump’s remarks sheds light on the broader issue of media bias and its impact on public understanding.
