Former President Donald Trump warned that without tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, the US auto industry will face a “bloodbath” and loss of jobs, echoing comments made earlier by XPeng Motors CEO He Xiaopeng.
Xiaopeng had written in a letter to employees that 2022 would see a “brutal knockout round” and “bloodbath” among Chinese auto companies competing globally, with XPeng aiming to emerge victorious.
“We’re going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected,” Trump said. “Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole, that’s going to be the least of it, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country, that’s going to be the least of it.”
Trump’s remarks were criticized by the Biden campaign and media as threatening political violence if he loses the election.
Xiaopeng sees China delivering a knockout blow to Western competitors like the US in the EV market through cheaper Chinese vehicles.
“This year also marks the beginning of a fierce competition that may end in a ‘bloodbath’ (or as I prefer to call it, the brutal ‘knockout round’) among Chinese auto makers,” Xiaopeng wrote.
“XPeng has engaged in this cutthroat competition right from the outset, thus accumulating considerable experience. Our guts, grit and perseverance, I firmly believe, will lead us to victory.”
Trump argued 100% tariffs are needed or American automakers will suffer greatly from the offshore production and imports of Chinese EVs.
However, his language was portrayed by opponents as going beyond economic warnings to imply violence.
“This is who Donald Trump is: a loser who gets beat by over 7 million votes and then instead of appealing to a wider mainstream audience doubles down on his threats of political violence,” Biden campaign spokesman James Singer said.
“[Trump] wants another January 6, but the American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge,” he said.
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