Supporters of Donald Trump went on the defensive Sunday over his latest inflammatory comments, in which he said at a campaign rally there would be a “bloodbath” if he loses the November presidential election.

The remarks came as he was talking about threats to domestic car production but drew condemnation from Dems for their violent tone.

“We’re gonna put a 100% tariff on every single (foreign-made) car that comes across the line and you’re not going to be able to sell those guys if I get elected,” Trump told supporters gathered near Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio.

“Now if I don’t get elected, it’s gonna be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it — it’s gonna be a bloodbath for the country, that’ll be the least of it,” he added.

Supporters of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee insisted he was talking just about the U.S. auto industry, though they voiced some qualms about his choice of words — the latest in a series of ominous statements from Trump.

“The general tone of the speech is why many Americans continue to wonder, ‘Should President Trump be president?’ That kind of rhetoric — it’s always on the edge, maybe doesn’t cross, maybe does depending upon your perspective,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

He also took exception with the flurry of news coverage prompted by the “bloodshed” quote.

“Sometimes the mainstream media, whether they want to or not, can’t resist and they go just a little bit too far, which distracts from what could be the impact,” the lawmaker said.

Rep. Michael Turner, a Republican whose district was the site of the rally, took a similar stance.

“The president’s statements concerning ‘bloodbath’ were about what would happen in the auto industry,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

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