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WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail Tuesday, again using violent depictions of “bloodshed” in two battleground states, this time linking crime to illegal border crossings.
“We’ve never had a border like this before,” Trump said while criticizing President Joe Biden in a prepared speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Trump, who stood behind a lectern sign that read “Stop Biden’s Border Bloodshed,” said he had received criticism for using the phrase during a rally in Ohio last month. Ta. In that case, he used that to argue that the U.S. auto industry would suffer under current U.S. trade practices.
Trump also repeated his “bloody” rhetoric at an evening rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, another key Midwestern state that could decide the 2024 presidential election.
In attacking Biden’s response to the southern border, Trump included a tribute to Ruby Garcia, a Michigan resident who was shot and killed last month. The murder suspect was in the United States illegally.
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“We’re going to give Ruby justice,” Trump said in a speech, surrounded by local law enforcement officials supporting his candidacy.
President Trump also talked about Georgia nursing student Laken Riley during his campaign. She was killed earlier this year, and the man arrested at the time of her death was also in the country illegally.
Democrats, including close aides to Biden’s campaign, have accused Trump of trying to turn a personal tragedy into political capital. They also noted that President Trump personally acted to block bipartisan border legislation in Congress.
“Donald Trump has already tried to overturn one election and promised ‘bloodshed’ if he loses this November. Now, Mr. Trump has escalated political violence and is a threat to our democracy and our Constitution.” We have made that clear for everyone to see,” Biden campaign director of rapid response Ammar Moussa said in a statement.
Some Democrats have argued that Trump’s comments have led to previous acts of violence, including the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and threats against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Trump has not been formally charged in either attack.
Trump’s rhetoric has taken center stage in recent months on the campaign trail. He described his own political opponents as “vermin” last year, but historians were quick to warn that fascist leaders Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini used the term like rodent. did.
The March 16 event in Dayton, Ohio, where Trump used the word “bloodshed” in reference to the auto industry, was Trump’s last traditional campaign appearance in public. It was also an activity event. He is busy behind the scenes raising campaign and legal funds and preparing for a criminal trial in New York City.
In both appearances, Trump interspersed his speech with references to his wide-ranging indictments and lawsuits, including an upcoming criminal trial over hush money payments. Jury selection is scheduled to begin April 15th. The potential Republican candidate also protested his $175 million bail as he appeals a bank fraud conviction against him.
Former presidents from both states also made false claims about their 2020 election victories. Trump won Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016, but lost both states to Biden in 2020.
One issue President Trump has avoided in both Michigan and Wisconsin is abortion.
The former president’s visit to the Midwest comes a day after the Florida Supreme Court cleared the way for an abortion rights referendum this fall. The ballot item could draw more Democrats to vote in the state, which is critical to President Trump’s hopes of winning.
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