“If we don’t win this election, I don’t think you’re going to have another election in this country,” Trump said.
Trump, who is under criminal indictment in Georgia for trying to overturn the result of the 2020 election there, this week won enough delegates to mathematically clinch the Republican nomination.
Ex-VP Pence declines to endorse Trump for US president
Ex-VP Pence declines to endorse Trump for US president
A general election rematch with Biden is likely to be extremely close. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week found the two candidates in a statistical tie with registered voters.
Trump opened his remarks in Dayton with a tribute to his supporters who are currently in jail for rioting at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as they sought to block certification of Biden’s 2020 election win.
Trump saluted and called them “patriots” and “hostages”.
The former Republican president has been using increasingly dystopian rhetoric in his campaign speeches about the state of the country.
Asked what he meant, his campaign pointed to a post on the social media platform X by a New York Times journalist, which said Trump’s “bloodbath” comment came amid a discussion about the US auto industry and the economy.
Another victory for Biden is possible if he’s willing to take risks
Another victory for Biden is possible if he’s willing to take risks
Asked for a response to Trump’s “bloodbath” comment, Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer condemned Trump’s “extremism”, “his thirst for revenge”, and his “threats of political violence”.
Trump also appealed to Blacks and Hispanics, voters who will play a key role in deciding November’s election.
Trump has been narrowing the gap with Biden in opinion polls with non-white voters, who formed a core part of Biden’s winning coalition when he defeated Trump in 2020.
Citing a central campaign theme, Trump said too many illegal immigrants have crossed the US-Mexico border since Biden took office, in his appeal to minority voters.
“No one has been hurt by Joe Biden’s migrant invasion more than our great African-American and Hispanic communities,” Trump said. He claimed without citing any evidence that illegal immigrants were taking their jobs.