Former President Donald Trump says his recent warning of a “bloodbath” if he is not elected president in November was made in the context of electric vehicles and was not referring to political violence in general.
But if talking about a type of automotive technology in bloody terms seems strange to some, the truth is that it corresponds with the increasingly brutal language that Trump has been applying to electric vehicles, one of his favorite targets.
He has long claimed that electric cars will “kill” the American auto industry. He has said that they “kill” jobs. He has declared that the Biden administration “ordered murder on Michigan industry” by encouraging the sale of electric cars.
And recently, after listing a litany of false claims about electric vehicles, he talked about imposing a “100 percent tariff” on cars made in Mexico but imported into the United States. “And they’re not going to be able to sell those cars,” he said. “If I am elected. Now, if I’m not elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for everyone. That’s going to be the least of it. It will be a bloodbath for the country, that will be the least of it. But they are not going to sell those cars.”
Edward W. Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, says Trump deploys graphic language to agitate his crowds.
“Donald Trump is a master of concrete language. The expression ‘bloodbath’ is very specific. Strong emotions are a great way to rally the base,” he said. Other political discourse experts believe Trump is normalizing violence by peppering a tirade against electric vehicles with promises of a “bloodbath” if he loses the election.
Jennifer Mercieca, author of “Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump,” noted that in his weekend speech, Trump went from complaining that United Auto Workers (UAW) workers ) did not support his claims that the automotive industry leaving the United States was leaving Mexico, then to the bloodbath comment and again to car sales.
“Because his speech was so disjointed, it’s hard to know whether he was threatening UAW workers, America’s automakers or the nation as a whole,” Mercieca said. But, she added, “in a sense, it doesn’t matter because Trump was threatening everyone at once.”
If I am not elected, it will be a bloodbath for everyone. That’s going to be the least of it. It will be a bloodbath for the country, that will be the least of it. But they are not going to sell those cars.”
Donald Trump, former US president.
Mercieca, who teaches communications at Texas A&M University, called Trump’s rhetoric an “ad baculum” strategy, which involves using threats of force or intimidation to coerce behavior.
“Trump paints a dire picture of the nation, threatening economic ruin if he is not elected president,” he said. “Using threats of force to gain power over a nation is authoritarian, not democratic,” he added.
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