Trump used the stage to deliver a profanity-filled version of his usual rally speech that again painted an apocalyptic picture of the country if Biden wins a second term.
"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..
Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer accused Trump of doubling "down on his threats of political violence."
"He wants another January 6, but the American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge," Singer charged in a statement.
A one-time Trump critic, Moreno, a wealthy Cleveland businessman, supported Marco Rubio for president in the 2016 Republican primary, and once tweeted that listening to Trump was "like watching a car accident that makes you sick, but you can stop looking." In 2021, NBC News reported on an email exchange around the time of Trump's first presidential run in which Moreno referred to Trump as a "lunatic" and a "maniac."
On Saturday, however, Moreno praised Trump as a "great American" and railed against those in his party who have been critical of the former president, who this week became his party's presumptive nominee for a third straight election.
"I am so sick and tired of Republicans that say, 'I support President Trump's policies but I don't like the man,'" he said as he joined Trump on stage.
Trump also continued to criticize Biden over his handling of the border as he cast migrants as less than human. "In some cases, they're not people, in my opinion," he said. ... He also criticized the Dolan family, which owns Cleveland's baseball team, for changing its name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians.
The thing to note here is that terminology like this isn't intended to actually communicate something about the topic at hand. It really doesn't matter if Trump was talking about immigration, the auto industry, or economics, the point is that his base wants to hear an aggressive tone, and violent rhetoric sells that.
So the takeaway here is that Trump is riling up his base, and that he chooses to use violent language to do so is concerning. He's juxtaposing violent, aggressive speech and election outcomes, and that's not a good look for someone who is accused of aiding and abetting an insurrection intended to keep him in power.
At least that's my takeaway, reading a bit between the lines.
Trump's all about using strong emotional language without actually saying anything. Using vague language so that you can interpret it however you want is kind of his trademark.
Rush Limbaugh was also a master of it, and conservatives have convinced themselves he was a great man too.
Yeah, it doesn't work on me, but apparently it's pretty effective.
Totally fair. It's entirely appropriate to raise this concern in the way that you have. It provides the space for people have have the discussion rooted in objective fact.