Donald Trump: China is 'raping' America on trade

Donald Trump has compared the US trade deficit with China to "rape" according to CNN. The US Republican presidential front runner has repeatedly accused China of manipulating its currency to make its exports more competitive on the global market and has claimed that China is "killing" the U.S. on trade.

Referring to China's high number of exports relative to the US, "we can't continue to allow China to rape our country, and that's what they're doing," Trump said during his second rally on Sunday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The statement comes as a renewed vow to tackle the issue if elected president.

"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." Trump claimed the country's currency devaluation would "suck the blood out" of America, report NBC News.

This is the first time Trump has used the word "rape" in the context of China and trade, but his campaign has been punctuated by offensive comments. According to CNN, Trump had used the inflammatory term to describe the deficit once in 2011 while touring a defense manufacturer in New Hampshire.

Trump's campaign manifesto aims to "cut a better deal with China that helps American businesses and workers compete" and put "an end to China's illegal export subsidies and lax labour and environmental standards."

Numbers reported by the BBC reveal that the US trade deficit to China reached an all-time high of $365.7bn (£250.1bn) last year, and has already reached $57bn in February of this year.

The candidate who is using extreme right-wing tactics to win a majority has been criticised for his sexist remarks against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, as well as for his endorsement of boxer Mike Tyson, who was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992.

Hundreds of protesters confronted the presidential candidate in California on Friday before a scheduled speech to the state's Republican convention, which forced 'the Donald' to enter the building by the back entrance.