NEW DELHI: Former President Donald Trump has stirred controversy with a video shared by him featuring an image of President Joe Biden tied up in the back of a pickup truck.
Trump claimed the footage was taken on Long Island during his visit to the wake of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, who had tragically lost his life during a recent traffic stop.
The video reportedly displayed two trucks adorned with flags and decals showing support for Trump, prominently featuring Biden’s image on the back of the second truck.
In response to the backlash, Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, defended the imagery, stating that the picture was on a truck travelling down the highway. He highlighted concerns about violence directed towards Trump and his family, accusing Democrats and others of weaponizing the justice system against him.
Biden’s campaign spokesman, Michael Tyler, condemned Trump’s actions saying “This image from Donald Trump is the type of crap you post when you’re calling for a ‘bloodbath’ or when you tell the proud boys to ‘stand back and stand by.’ 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 January 6, ” according to CNN.
The US Secret Service has not commented on matters of protective intelligence in relation to the video.
This incident adds to a pattern of Trump using dark and violent imagery in his campaign messaging, reflecting his tendency towards inflammatory rhetoric in pursuit of his political goals.
( with input from agency)