All The Elections Trump Has Claimed Were Stolen Through Voter Fraud
Topline
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread fraud, but it’s far from the first time he’s cried foul about an election.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: President Donald Trump speaks in the Diplomatic Room of the White … [+]
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Timeline
Trump, who had endorsed Republican nominee Mitt Romney, tweeted about apocryphal reports of “voting machines switching Romney votes to Obama” after previously warning supporters in October to “be careful of voter fraud!”
Trump repeatedly chalked up his narrow loss to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in the Iowa caucus to voter fraud, pushing vague, unsubstantiated claims Cruz “cheated” and “stole” the election and demanding, “either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified.”
Despite defeating Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College, Trump tweeted baseless allegations of “millions of FRAUD votes” and claiming, “Serious voter fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California.”
Trump subtly pushed doubts about the legitimacy of Alabama’s special Senate election, which Democrat Doug Jones won in an upset, conceding “a win is a win,” but adding, “The write-in votes played a very big factor.”
Trump took aim at Senate elections in Arizona and Florida and a gubernatorial race in Georgia – the latter two of which Republicans won – falsely claiming Florida counties “miraculously started finding Democrat votes” and proposing a new election in Arizona because of unexplained “electoral corruption.”
A rare example where Trump lacked a direct personal stake, he called to re-run the late-decided Democratic primary in New York’s 12th District, pointing to it as a prime example of the failings of mail-in voting – though analysts argue such examples serve better as a display of New York’s subpar election administration.
Key Background
Amid Trump’s continued refusal to concede the election – despite allowing his General Services Administration to recognize Biden as the “apparent winner” and authorize cooperation toward a transition of power – his legal team has filed lawsuits in key states won by Biden to try to overturn the results. Those efforts have largely been met with failure, as have Trump’s attempts to pressure state lawmakers to block certification of their states’ results.
Crucial Quote
“When will Bill Nelson concede in Florida?” Trump said of then-Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who lost reelection to Republican Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in 2018. “The characters running Broward and Palm Beach voting will not be able to ‘find’ enough votes, too much spotlight on them now!”
Big Number
73%. That’s the share of Republicans who agree with Trump’s false claims that he won the election, according to a CNBC/Change Research poll released Monday. Just 3% of GOP voters, by contrast, acknowledge the reality of Biden’s victory.
Chief Critic
Outgoing Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), one of the few Republicans to publicly acknowledge Biden’s victory, told Forbes in an interview that Trump’s voter fraud claims are a “massive grift” and “completely unethical,” claiming Republicans’ willingness to go along with it is “just money-making for the 2024 presidential election.”
*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Forbes can be found here ***
