Real estate mogul Donald Trump has been no stranger to controversial comments in his Republican presidential bid, but on Sunday he went a step further as he compared the trade deficit with China to rape for the first time in his campaign.
The hyperbolic statement came during a rally in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in which he decried China's high number of exports in contrast to its imports from the US.
"We can't continue to allow China to rape our country, and that's what they're doing," declared Trump, who in the past has accused China of manipulating its currency so that its exports will succeed on the global market.
This marks the first time Trump has compared the trade deficit to rape in his campaign, although it isn't his first time finding himself in high water over aspersions of rape. Previously he received backlash for characterizing Mexicans illegally crossing into the US from the south as "rapists" and drug runners.
In his comments on Sunday, Trump said, "we're going to turn it around. And we have the cards, don't forget it. We're like the piggy bank that's being robbed. We have the cards. We have a lot of power with China."
After accusing China of rape, the Republican frontrunner said he is not "angry at China," but rather with American leaders who are "grossly incompetent."
While this is Trump's first time accusing China of rape in his current campaign, back in 2011 he said that "China is raping this country" while touring a defense manufacturer in New Hampshire, reports CNN.
In an ironic twist, Trump's rape accusation comes even as he is facing criticism for touting his endorsement by boxer Mike Tyson - Tyson was convicted of rape in Indiana.
After Trump called Tyson a "tough guy" in praise of his endorsement, his rival Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) responded on Sunday, telling CBS, "I don't think rapists are tough guys. I think rapists are weak, they're bullies and they're cowards."