Trump Says "Bloodbath"
According to allsides.com, the Washington Post leans to the right while USA Today leans to the left.
The Headlines
Washington Examiner: Social media captures full context of Trump’s ‘bloodbath’ comment
USA Today: Donald Trump talks about 'bloodbath,' attacks immigrants as he rallies for Republican Senate pick in Ohio
The Story
Former President Trump's rhetoric has always been controversial or revolutionary, of course, this depends on the side of the aisle you align with. Well...to no one's surprise, there has been another controversy surrounding Trump's choice of words. According to USA Today, Trump stated in a recent Ohio rally "If I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath," Trump said as he pledged to impose tariffs on foreign-made cars. "That's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country." (BeMiller, 2024) Additionally, Trump made some unflattering comments about immigrants suggesting that "some who are accused of crimes are "not people." The rest of the USA article focuses on the purpose of Trump's attendance at the rally which was to endorse Bernie Moreno in his Senate campaign.
Washington's Post article includes the full context of the bloodbath statement, “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. 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.”(Goldsberry, 2024) And note, that this article does not make reference to Trump's statement about immigrants. The piece focuses more on Democrats' "raising a red flag" over Trmup's statement and the criticism/support that followed. The purpose of their article is clear- Trump's use of the word 'bloothbath' was non-violent.
The Takeaways
USA Today
- Trump used the word bloodbath regarding placing tariffs on foreign cars.
- Trump made a statement about criminal immigrants not being 'people'.
- Trump was at the rally to endorse Bernie Moreno.
- Provides the anti-immigrant stances Moreno has taken.
Washington Examiner
- Trump's 'bloodbath' comment was regarding placing tariffs on foreign cars.
- Democrats misconstrued Trump's comments.
- Statements retrieved showing Democrats misconstruing Trump's 'bloodbath' comment.
- Statements retrieved showing Republicans supporting Trump's 'bloodbath' comment.
Connection to Class
In class, we talked about Trump and his campaign's success in using methods of strategic communication to "manage the message". As suggested in News by Lance Bennett "consistency is key" and Trump's use of controversial rhetoric has been consistent. Perhaps, his speech is tactical rather than impulsory. Most candidates are weary of using harsh language or terms that can easily be used against them such as 'bloodbath'. However, Trump seems to prefer harsher language and it can be said his supporters do too. My question is what exact approach is Trump using to 'manage his message". Is it the ones described by Bennett, " message salience, message framing, etc" or is he playing by a different book? Whatever the case, what he does works as he consistently remains in the headlines.
Resources
BeMiller, H. (2024, March 17). Donald Trump talks about 'bloodbath,' attacks immigrants as he rallies for Republican Senate pick in Ohio. USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/17/donald-trump-joe-biden-ohio/73008166007/
Goldsberry, J. (2024, March 17).Social media captures full context of Trump’s ‘bloodbath’ comment. The Washington Examiner
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/2924478/social-media-captures-full-context-of-trumps-bloodbath-comment/
Bennett, W. L. (2016). News (10th ed.). Independent Publishers Group (Chicago Review Press). https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780226345055
It's pretty interesting how different news sites have different agendas so they post similar information with a different spin in order to progress those agendas. Taken out of context mentioning a bloodbath about an election would be a terrible thing, and it'd rightfully be alarming to readers. But within that context, of his proposed import taxes and its effect on foreign trade companies, while concerning to some is at least more reasonable.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing everyone freaking out about this comment on social media but I wasn't sure what the comment went. It is truly amazing how different news companies twist a narrative to fit their audience. You have one that is explaining what is said and the other making it seem like what he was saying was almost a threat to the american people. Its truly amazing. I feel like this is why people are starting to trust the news less and less.
ReplyDelete