"But that is exactly how many, particularly in the media, interpreted his comment."
As someone who interprets language for a living, no one is interpreting anything except those who insist that his words don't mean what they say. He said "bloodbath"; he meant "bloodbath." Full stop.
Not quite: while you're interpreting, take at look at @GottaLaff's thread about #Trump's admiration for #Hitler in 1996. The only criticism he makes is that Hitler didn't go far enough.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/goldberg-did-trump-literally-threaten-231806365.html