Donald Trump’s campaign has clarified remarks he made during a Dayton, Ohio rally, which were criticized by President Biden’s team and the media as suggesting violence if Trump loses the upcoming election. Trump’s statement, “If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country,” was defended by his team as being taken out of context. They assert that Trump was addressing the economic impact of Chinese auto manufacturing on U.S. industry, not indicating any violence.

President Biden’s campaign has sharply criticized Trump, labeling his rhetoric as evidence of authoritarian tendencies and a threat of political violence. James Singer, a spokesperson for Biden-Harris, accused Trump of wanting another event like January 6 and predicted another electoral defeat for him in November due to his extremism.

Trump’s campaign insists that the controversial comment was related to the economic ramifications of Chinese cars being manufactured in Mexico for American consumers, citing a part of the speech where Trump threatened a 100% tariff on these cars. They argue that Biden’s administration is allowing China to dominate the car industry, leading to job losses in America.