“If I lose it will be a bloodbath for the United States.” Donald Trump did not mince words to warn Americans of the consequences of not being elected. He did so from the stage in Ohio in a long and dark speech in which he defined November 5, the day of the presidential vote, the most important date in American history, a watershed that will mark the future of the United States.
Ensuring rapid and decisive action on the immigration front as soon as he returns to the White House, the former president has once again unleashed harsh words against illegal migrants who cross the border with Mexico and “invade” the country. “I don't know if you call them people. In some cases they are not, they are animals”, he told his fans, receiving a shower of applause and approval. Then he feared “a bloodbath” in the case of his defeat in the elections, a an expression that brings to mind the “American carnage” he used during his swearing-in in 2017. Harsh words, uttered while speaking about the difficulties of the automotive industry, which immediately unleashed a storm of controversy.
“He wants another January 6th, incites violence and is thirsty for revenge,” Joe Biden's campaign thundered. “Her words show even more clearly that we must win the elections,” ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added. Elon Musk instead defended the former president and pointed the finger at “the mainstream media that lies”. According to the billionaire, in fact, the tycoon's words were incorrectly extrapolated from context, a thesis shared by the Trump campaign and the right-wing media, which came out forcefully in defense of the former president. Biden's staff “is engaging in deceptive, out-of-context editing that puts even Roman Polanski to shame,” said Steven Cheung, Trump's campaign spokesman.
He responded to the former president's attacks with a mix of irony and sarcasm. Speaking at the prestigious Gridiron Club dinner, the president joked about his age (“I'm already six hours past my usual bedtime”) and his opponent in the White House. Running for 2024, he said, is a person who is “too old and mentally unfit for the presidency. The other candidate is me.” Then he joked about the former president's debts: «My plan to cancel student debt does not apply to everyone. Yesterday a dejected-looking man came to me and said: 'I'm crushed by debt. I replied: 'I'm sorry Donald but I can't help you.'
However, the jokes were also accompanied by much less playful remarks. «We live in unprecedented times.
Democracy and freedom are under attack. Putin is marching on Europe and my predecessor bows to him and tells him to do what he wants. But we will not bow, I will not bow”, thundered Biden, speaking of democracy under attack and inviting everyone to do their part for the country.
Biden reserved the final toast of the dinner for the press, sending a message in stark contrast to Trump's: “You are not enemies of the people.”
