Rantz: Trump ‘bloodbath’ controversy is the latest media invention

Former President Donald Trump used a the common term “bloodbath” during a weekend speech. Left-wing media is purposefully taking it out of context to gin up a new controversy.

The headlines were over the top and purposefully misleading. NBC News declared, “Trump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election.” The New York Times said that Trump “predicts a bloodbath if he loses.” ABC News and Politico followed the same patterns. Meanwhile, Radical Left activists and politicians spread the same claim. Rob Reiner, an unhinged director who spends his time on X, formerly known as Twitter, instead of on movie sets, warned that, “He says if he loses the election, there will be a bloodbath. America, wake the (expletive) up!” MSNBC host Joe Scarborough posted the same criticism — though he later had to delete it.

To be so dishonest and disingenuous takes genuine effort. Trump wasn’t talking about political violence. He was discussing the economics of the auto industry.

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What did the Trump ‘bloodbath’ comment mean?

The context of his speech in Ohio is pretty obvious. While media outlets highlighted one sentence, the full context makes it obvious that the Trump “bloodbath” comment was about China’s impact on the auto industry, after Chinese automakers began auto-plant construction in Mexico.

“If you’re listening, President Xi — and you and I are friends — but he understands the way I deal. Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now … you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us, no. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected,” Trump said.

“Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it,” he added. “It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars. They’re building massive factories.”

Here’s the actual context of the “bloodbath” comment by Donald Trump that the Radical Left is pretending to be upset about.

They’re purposefully taking it out the context so you think he’s talking about post-election violence. pic.twitter.com/goCx7NK6GV

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) March 17, 2024

The context of the Trump ‘bloodbath’ in auto industry was obvious

When you dive into some of the coverage of the Trump “bloodbath” comment, some outlets did their best to still pretend the comments were about political violence. But knowing too many Americans get their news from headlines, some media provided the context so they could claim they did nothing unethical in how they framed the Trump “bloodbath” comment in the headline.

Ironically, the far-left Daily Beast, via partisan Justin Baragona, framed the Trump “bloodbath” comment honestly. “Trump Declares It Will Be a ‘Bloodbath’ for Auto Industry if He’s Not Elected,” the headline noted. Baragona even conceded, “While Trump’s eyebrow-raising remarks may have invoked visions of the (events of) January 6, the ex-president was specifically making his comments in relation to car manufacturers.”

Bloomberg News, meanwhile, didn’t even frame their coverage around the Trump “bloodbath” line. Instead, they rightly covered the threat of tariffs on Chinese automakers and impacts on the American auto industry. That’s the actual story.

NBC pushing the bloodbath hoax now.

Unreal. These ‘news’ agencies need a complete overhaul. They are no different than state run media propaganda. https://t.co/rcZdstrXml

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) March 17, 2024

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Suddenly the Left pretends ‘bloodbath’ is a controversial word

Online, burner accounts for Joe Biden supporters asked why Trump would use the term “bloodbath.” It’s as if these people don’t have access to a dictionary or any real world experience to draw from.

The Trump “bloodbath” comment was obviously about a “major economic disaster,” which is one of the literal definitions of the word. That it was used specifically about the auto industry should have been an obvious clue he wasn’t speaking about a literal bloodbath.

Days earlier, the pearl clutchers didn’t have an issue with the term “bloodbath.” Indeed, MSNBC posted a video of Joy Reid covering the “bloodbath” at the RNC after a series of layoffs. Similarly, The New York Times used a “bloodbath” quote covering the same RNC story. There were no mention about how violent the language is, nor did they pretend the context of its use was eluding to bloodshed.

This clip gives you a good sense of Trump's discussion of China and the US auto industry. https://t.co/9IsDismsP1

— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 17, 2024

Media is just helping Trump

The unhinged media coverage and Democrat reaction comes with unintended consequences.

While they think they’re hurting Trump, they’re only helping him. Gone are the days where the context isn’t easily available. In under 12 hours, the video I posted on X showing the context was viewed nearly 120,000 times. That represents just one video showing the full context. Others have posted the same and it’s being viewed by a public that’s rightfully grown more distrustful of the media. And the public will know that the Left is again lying about Trump, earning him sympathy and more support.

Voters know taking the Trump “bloodbath” comment so remarkably out of context is yet another desperate attempt to hurt his reelection campaign. The ones who are on the fence about who to support for president will soon realize that maybe the way they felt about Trump during his first term, when they were economically so much better off than under Biden, was manipulated by a dishonest press. That guarantees a vote for Trump and helps explain why he’s leading in the polls.

The propagandists are out in full force & it's only going to get worse. https://t.co/HL9RZawmia

— Mary Walter (@MaryWalterRadio) March 17, 2024

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