This chapter compares two controversial utterances from the 2024 US presidential campaign: Donald Trump’s bloodbath comment, made on 16 March 2024 in Dayton, Ohio, and Joe Biden’s bullseye remark, uttered during a private donor conference call on 8 July 2024. Both sparked polarised interpretations. Critics alleged incitement to violence while the candidates and their campaign teams argued that these comments were used figuratively. These two case studies reveal stark contrasts. Trump’s bloodbath comment was overwhelmingly defended by the YouTube commenters as media misrepresentation, while the media was highly critical of Trump’s use of language. By contrast, Biden’s bullseye comment drew strong criticism from Republicans and YouTube commenters, while few Democrats or media outlets came to his defence. The chapter concludes by underscoring how polarised reality paradigms, selective media framing, and audience predispositions shape divergent interpretations.