Trump campaign responds to criticism of post containing controversial Biden image

A firestorm erupted last week when former President Donald Trump posted a video that included a disturbing image of President Joe Biden, as Axios reported, but according to insiders close to the presumptive GOP nominee, the accusations leveled against him were far off the mark.

According to the Daily Mail, Trump took to social media and posted a video that included a depiction of a painted image of a hog-tied Biden on the tailgate of a pickup truck.

The video was apparently captured as Trump made his way back from the wake of Jonathan Diller, an NYPD officer who was killed in the line of duty last Monday.

In the controversial footage, two vehicles can be seen decked out with flags and decals indicative of their owners' support for Trump, and the image of the current president was affixed to the rear of the second truck.

When asked for comment on the post, the White House referred journalists to Biden campaign staff, as NBC News noted.

It was not long before Biden campaign representatives weighed in, condemning the image as evidence of what they described as Trump's violent tendencies.

Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden campaign, said, “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,'” referencing -- or arguably mischaracterizing -- some of the former president's prior statements.

“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,” Tyler added.

Though the Biden campaign was quick to slam Trump for what it said was dangerous incitement, the former president's team entered the fray to clarify its stance on the kerfuffle.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “That picture was on the back of a pick up truck that was traveling down the highway,” seemingly disclaiming any involvement on the former president's part in creating or promoting the image.

Cheung went on to blast people he referred to as “Democrats and crazed lunatics” for routinely calling for violent acts to be carried out against Trump and his loved ones.

He went on to accuse the former president's opponents of “actually weaponizing the justice system against him.”

In support of that contention, Cheung referenced comments made by Biden back in 2018 in which he said that if he and Trump were in high school together, he would “take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him."

While the wisdom of Trump's decision to post the incendiary image of Biden may be debatable, the fact is that none of the players involved can claim clean hands when it comes to nasty rhetoric.