Former Trump Official Says Ex-President Is ‘Fully Aware’ How Supporters Understand ‘Bloodbath’ Rhetoric, Which Is Going to ‘Get Worse’

Former Trump official Olivia Troye joined CNN on Monday to discuss the ongoing fallout from President Donald Trump’s “bloodbath” remark over the weekend.

CNN’s Boris Sanchez brought on Troye and noted she once “worked as the Homeland Security, counterterrorism, and Covid task force adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence.”

“We’re here again trying to discern what Donald Trump meant with a controversial remark. It’s part of his playbook to say these things that could be heard multiple ways. Right?” Sanchez asked Troye, who has become a fierce critic of Trump in recent years.

“Yeah, I think, you know, he chooses his words carefully. He knows exactly what he’s doing. And I think you’re going to continue to see more of it. And I think you’re going to see it get worse, is my prediction,” she began, adding:

You know, he’s fully aware of the way the words are portrayed and the way they come off. He fully knows that his supporters receive them in a certain way. And so whether he was referring to the auto industry, which is what they’re saying, he chose that word specifically. Why should he say “bloodbath” when you’re talking about autos? He knows exactly what he’s doing and he knows the ramifications of it.

Trump, who has a long history of incendiary rhetoric, made the comments Saturday during a rally in Dayton, Ohio. He spoke at length about the dangers facing the automobile industry if foreign-made cheap EVs flood the U.S. market without tariffs.

“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,” Trump added and then continued discussing trade.

Watch the clip above via CNN.