- Biden warns of Trump's reaction in case of election defeat
US President Joe Biden is concerned about the possible reaction of Donald Trump if the Republican loses the presidential election in November. He is "not at all confident" that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in that case, he responded in an interview with US broadcaster CBS News. Biden was referring to Trump's "bloodbath" remark from March, when the former president said at a campaign event: "If I'm not elected, there will be a bloodbath." In the interview, the US president said of Trump's comments: "He means what he says. We don't take him seriously. He means it." Biden added that one cannot only love one's country when one wins. CBS News published excerpts of the interview on Wednesday (local time). The full interview is set to air on Sunday. In the 2020 election, Trump did not accept his defeat. When Congress gathered in January 2021 to formally confirm Biden's victory, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington. The Republican had whipped up his supporters with unfounded claims that his election victory had been stolen through massive fraud. Just under four weeks ago, Trump was the target of an assassination attempt. A 20-year-old opened fire at a campaign event in the US state of Pennsylvania and shot the 78-year-old in the ear. An audience member was killed and two others seriously injured. Security forces killed the attacker.
Despite the attempted assassination on Trump earlier this month, CBS News reported that his comments about potential unrest if he loses the election again are still causing concern among political circles. Biden's response to Trump's "bloodbath" remark during the CBS News interview reiterated his belief in the importance of peacefully accepting election results.
