Donald Trump told a rally in Ohio on Saturday that the presidential election in November will be the “most important date” in US history, portraying his campaign for the White House as a watershed moment for the nation.
Days after solidifying his place as the likely Republican nominee, the former president warned of a “bloodbath” if he is not elected — though it was unclear what he was talking to, given that the remark came in the middle of talks about risks to the US car sector.
“The date — remember this, November 5 — I believe it’s going to be the most important date in the history of our country,” the 77-year-old told rallygoers in Vandalia, Ohio, reiterating well-worn charges of his adversary, President Joe Biden, as the “worst” president.
Criticizing Chinese intentions to make vehicles in Mexico and sell them to Americans, he stated: “We’re going to put a 100 percent 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.”
“Now, if I’m not elected, it’s going to be a slaughter for the entire country—that’s going to be the least of it. That will be the least of it. But they won’t sell those cars.”
As Trump’s tweet spread on social media, Biden’s campaign issued a statement branding the Republican a “loser” at the 2020 election who then “doubles down on his threats of political violence.”
“He wants another January 6, but the American people will hand him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, love of violence, and thirst for vengeance,” the campaign said, referring to the deadly attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters in 2021.
Later, Biden addressed a luncheon in Washington, where he warned of “an unprecedented moment in history.”
“Freedom is under assault… The lies about the 2020 election, the plot to overturn it, to embrace the Jan. 6 insurrection pose the greatest threat to our democracy since the American Civil War,” he said.
“In 2020, they failed, but … the threat remains.”
The 81-year-old, who has waved off concerns that he is too old for a second term, leavened his rhetoric with humor.
“One candidate’s too old and mentally unfit to be president,” he said of the presidential race. “The other guy’s me.”
Border issues
Earlier this month, Trump and Biden each gained enough delegates to secure their party nominations for the 2024 presidential contest, effectively ensuring a rematch and setting up one of the longest election campaigns in US history.
Trump is campaigning on major reforms to what he terms Biden’s “horror show” immigration policy, despite the ex-president successfully lobbying Republicans to oppose a package in Congress that featured the harshest border security measures in decades.
On Saturday, he mentioned the border again as he attempted to reach out to minorities who have generally voted Democratic.
He said Biden “repeatedly stabbed African-American voters in the back” by awarding work permits to “millions” of immigrants, warning that they and Hispanic Americans “are going to be the ones that suffer the most.”
For decades, Ohio was seen as a bellwether battleground state, but it has shifted more decisively Republican since Trump’s presidential victory in 2016.
The gathering occurred a day after Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, said that he would not support his former boss for a second term in the White House.