On Friday, former President Donald Trump posted a video depicting a hog-tied President Biden, which has drawn criticism.
In the 20-second video he posted on his Truth Social page, two trucks are driving down a freeway with flags supporting Trump; one of the trucks features a large image depicting Biden lying horizontally with his legs and hands bound, appearing to be kidnapped in the truck bed.
Trump captioned that the footage was filmed on Thursday in Long Island, New York. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee was in the area for the wake of Officer Jonathan Diller, a New York City police officer who was gunned down in the line of duty.
Trump was quickly rebuked for promoting the video with the disturbing image. On the campaign trail, Trump has often made personal attacks on Biden, from calling him “crooked” and slamming his competence, to making an unfounded proclamation of him being the worst president in the history of the United States.
Critics point to Trump’s words appearing to incite violence, including his violent rhetoric during rallies, where he has said there will be a “bloodbath” and elections will end if he does not get reelected and his channeling of Hitler during speeches. The Biden campaign condemned Trump’s recent video post, which suggests physical harm to the sitting Democratic president.
“Trump is regularly inciting political violence, and it’s time people take him seriously — just ask the Capitol Police officers who were attacked protecting our democracy on Jan. 6,” Michael Tyler, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said in a statement via The New York Times.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded to criticisms regarding the video on Friday night in a statement. “That picture was on the back of a pickup truck that was traveling down the highway. Democrats and crazed lunatics have not only called for despicable violence against President Trump and his family, they are actually weaponizing the justice system against him.”
The U.S. Secret Service released a statement saying it “does not confirm or comment on matters of protective intelligence,” as Politico reported.
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