claimed mass fraud after losing the 2020 election?

On the evening of Election Day on November 3, 2020, Trump announced victory. However, over the next four days, Biden pulled ahead in several battleground states until his victory was announced on November 7. The Trump campaign launched a series of lawsuits alleging mass fraud across the nation.

The Claims

Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lead lawyer, held a press conference at Four Seasons to highlight claims of fraud and their upcoming legal battles. The primary assertion was that fraud likely took place because of an influx of mail-in ballot votes, and a supposed lack of access by the Republican poll watchers for oversight in vote counting. Giuliani claimed that there had also been thousands of votes from deceased that were improperly counted.

The conference became notable for its location at Four Seasons Landscaping, and for taking place during the announcement that Biden had won. Situated next to a sex shop and crematorium, it was suspected that the location was booked in error, and was intended to be at a Four Seasons hotel. At the time the press conference was taking place, Trump was playing golf. It was then that Biden was announced the winner:

In another press conference on November 19, Giuliani reiterated his claims about fraud and the lack of adequate oversight from poll watchers, referencing the film My Cousin Vinny to make his case.

During the conference, Sidney Powell, another senior Trump lawyer, announced suits in Georgia and Michigan against Dominion, which provided substantial voting infrastructure across the country. Powell also alleged a global communist conspiracy behind the fraud. She was soon after dismissed from the legal team.

The lawsuits asserted a variety of claims. Examples included:

  • Mail-in ballots that hadn’t been accurately signed and marked on the outside
  • Mail-in ballots not in their original envelopes
  • Non-uniform curing, or fixing of ballot mistakes, being unconstitutional
  • State guidances on mail-in voting
  • Multiple votes from the same individuals
  • More votes than the voting population of the corresponding district
  • Higher rates of machines rejections for Republican ballots
  • “Over votes” from the use of Sharpies and its bleed through the paper

The Results

Trump’s legal team sought to delay or prevent certification of election results in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. Certification is the legal process by which states officially submit their results, with deadlines defined by state law.

None of the suits were allowed to prevent certification. The one victory the Trump team achieved – the exclusion of votes in Pennsylvania which were too few to have any influence – was reversed by the state’s Supreme Court. In another instance, the Trump legal team spent $3 million for a recount in a Wisconsin county, only for more Biden votes to be discovered.

By the time a month had passed from the election, with 10 cases still pending, the Trump campaign had won zero out of 32 suits. While the campaign pledged more, the judges’ opinions on many of the dismissed suits – including by judges appointing by Trump – gave clear pictures of how little basis the suits had. One Michigan judge deemed the provided proof as “inadmissible hearsay within hearsay.” A Georgia judge said another suit “would breed confusion and disenfranchisement.” A Pennsylvania judge said of yet another suit, “This claim, like Frankenstein’s Monster, has been haphazardly stitched together.”

Transition & Certification

For three weeks after the election, the administration refused to begin the transition process to the President-elect. However, on November 24, head of the General Services Administration Emily W. Murphy confirmed that she would approve the formal transition process, freeing federal money and allowing security briefings for the Biden team.

On December 1, Attorney General Bill Barr said if there was fraud, there wasn’t enough to change the results of the election. This marked a notable shift for Barr, who had provided Trump legal cover through the Mueller investigation and impeachment over Ukrainian quid-pro-quo. Others who had contradicted Trump’s claims of voter fraud, including the head of the organization responsible for election security, were fired.

By the time a month had passed from the election, all of the battleground states in question had been certified.

The Tweetstorm

Over the course of the month following the election, Trump tweeted dozens of unfounded claims about mass fraud, all flagged by Twitter. While the following are examples of claims about victory, poll observers, fake news, rigging, and individual states, each were reiterated by Trump several times on Twitter.

The Claims
Business Insider – Dominion Voting Systems tore into Sidney Powell’s lawsuit accusing it of a vast conspiracy, calling it ‘baseless, senseless, physically impossible’
Politico – Trump campaign cuts Sidney Powell from president’s legal team
The Results
Business Insider – Trump spent $3 million for a vote recount in Wisconsin’s largest county to support his baseless claim of ballot fraud but lost by even more than initially thought
The New York Times – Trump Is Not Doing Well With His Election Lawsuits. Here’s a Rundown.
Business Insider – Trump and his allies have won zero out at least 32 lawsuits they’ve filed since Election Day
The New York Times – Over 30 Trump Campaign Lawsuits Have Failed. Some Rulings Are Scathing.

Transition & Certification
Associated Press – Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud

Associated Press – Trump fires agency head who vouched for 2020 vote security
The New York Times – Trump Administration Approves Start of Formal Transition to Biden
CNN – How election certification works and why it matters more than ever this year
NBC News – Trump administration officially authorizes Biden transition
The Washington Post – Wisconsin and Arizona make it official as Trump fails to stop vote certification in all six states where he contested his defeat
Business Insider – All major battleground states in the 2020 election officially certify their results, cementing Biden’s victory in the presidential race
The Twitterstorm
Trump Twitter Archive V2

fired the head of election security for contradicting claims on mass fraud?

Two weeks after the 2020 election, head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Chris Krebs was fired by Trump for contradicting the President’s claims of mass fraud.

Chris Krebs official photo.jpg
Christopher Krebs, former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Wikipedia

CISA, an organization created by legislation signed by Trump, sought to ensure the integrity of the election, and after announced it to be among the most secure in American history. It also sought to dispel rumors and conspiracy theories directly on its website’s “rumor control” page. Many of these had been spread by Trump himself, who attacked Krebs on Twitter.

On the day of his ousting, head of the CISA Chris Krebs also noted on Twitter that such claims were in every case “unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent,” and said of his agency, “we did it right.”

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – #Protect2020 Rumor vs. Reality
Associated Press – Trump fires agency head who vouched for 2020 vote security
PBS News Hour – Trump’s firing of top election security official unsettles lawmakers
BBC News – Trump fires election security official who contradicted him
Wikipedia – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Wikipedia – Chris Krebs

retweeted a conspiracy theory that claimed bin Laden was still alive?

On October 13, 2020, Trump retweeted a QAnon conspiracy that claimed that Barack Obama and Joe Biden faked Osama bin Laden’s death in 2011. The account he retweeted was soon after deleted.

https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/Screen-Shot-2020-10-13-at-11.10.18-AM.png

Trump also retweeted a video that claimed Iran was paid off to safely transfer bin Laden to Pakistan for Obama’s “trophy kill.”

Robert J. O’Neill, the Seal Team 6 operative who fired the killing shots, also replied over Twitter:

During that week’s Presidential Town Hall, Trump refused to denounce QAnon.

The Washington Post – Riggleman condemns Trump’s retweet of ‘ludicrous’ conspiracy about Navy SEALs, bin Laden
USA Today – ‘You’re not someone’s crazy uncle’: Guthrie challenges Trump on conspiracy theory retweets
The Hill – Trump digs in on conspiracy theory over bin Laden raid

refused to denounce QAnon?

During an October 15, 2020 town hall, Trump refused to denounce the QAnon conspiracy theory when asked by host Savannah Guthrie. QAnon holds that Trump was waging a secret war against a secret cabal of Satantic Democrats that engaged in a mass pedophile ring.

GUTHRIE: All right, while we’re denouncing, let me ask you about QAnon. It is this theory that Democrats are a satanic pedophile ring and that you are the savior, of that. Now can you just, once and for all, state that that is completely not true, and disavow QAnon in its entirety?

 

TRUMP: I know nothing about QAnon.

 

GUTHRIE: I just told you.

 

TRUMP: I know very little. You told me, but what you tell me, doesn’t necessarily make it fact. I hate to say that. I know nothing about it. I do know they are very much against pedophilia. They fight it very hard. But I know nothing about it. If you’d like me to-

 

GUTHRIE: They believe that it is a Satanic cult run by the deep state.

 

TRUMP: …study the subject. I’ll tell you what I do know about. I know about Antifa, and I know about the radical left, and I know how violent they are and how vicious they are. And I know how they are burning down cities run by Democrats, not run by Republicans.

Two weeks prior, Trump avoided unequivocally denouncing white supremacists during the Presidential debate. Trump also congratulated a QAnon supporter who won a Georgia House seat primary, despite her being denounced by other Republicans, and has repeatedly lent the conspiracy theory credibility.

The Washington Post – Rather than condemn the QAnon conspiracy theory, Trump elevates its dangerous central assertion
CBS News – Trump refuses to denounce right-wing conspiracy group QAnon, says all he knows is “they are very strongly against pedophilia”
The Guardian – Trump refuses to disavow QAnon conspiracy theory during town hall

 

claimed that Twitter was conspiring against him?

Trump has also had several tweets flagged by Twitter, including for misinformation about COVID-19 and spreading manipulated media of political opponent Joe Biden. In another instance, he tweeted false claims about Biden linked to Russian misinformation campaigns.

accused Biden of taking performance-enhancing drugs?

In an August 26, 2020 interview with The Washington Examiner, Trump claimed without evidence that his Democrat opponent for the 2020 election was taking performance-enhancing drugs.

He repeated the claim in a September 11, 2020 interview on Fox News.

He has also called for Biden to be tested for drugs on Twitter.

Trump repeatedly accused Biden of being mentally incompetent, while bragging about his own completion of a basic cognitive exam.

The Washington Examiner – Trump calls for drug tests before Biden debate
Forbes – Trump’s Latest Trolling Of Biden’s Mental State: Calling For Drug Tests Before Debates
Business Insider – President Trump baselessly accuses Biden of taking performance-enhancing drugs during primary debates

was endorsed by Osama bin Laden’s niece?

Osama bin Laden’s niece, Noor bin Laden, voiced support for Trump, claiming that only he could prevent another terrorist attack like 9/11. On the day of 9/11, Trump bragged about the height of his Manhattan tower.

Noor, born in Switzerland, is a vocal fan of American conservative news and talk show hosts, naming Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to be her favorite television personality. She has also voiced support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. Trump has voiced support for other politicians who have espoused the conspiracy.

Business Insider – Osama bin Laden’s niece is a Trump supporter who has also backed the QAnon conspiracy theory movement
The New York Post – Osama bin Laden’s niece says only Trump can prevent another 9/11
Pop Culture – Osama Bin Laden’s Niece Wears MAGA Hat to Endorse Donald Trump: ‘He Must Be Reelected’

was an anti-vaxxer?

Trump first voiced the unsound claim that vaccines cause autism during a 2007 interview with the Orlando Sun-Sentinal. Trump said his then-infant son Barron was being given vaccinations over a prolonged period of time, explaining, “When I was growing up, autism wasn’t really a factor. And now all of a sudden, it’s an epidemic. Everybody has their theory. My theory, and I study it because I have young children, my theory is the shots.”

In a 2009 Fox News segment, Trump called to say, “I think the vaccines can be very dangerous. And, obviously, you know, a lot of people are talking about vaccines with children with respect to autism.” He reiterated the claim again in a 2012 interview with Fox News on Autism Awareness Day.

Trump has also voiced this belief via Twitter.

During the 2015 Republican Presidential Primaries, Trump said he was supportive of vaccines, but again stated his belief that the dosages should be smaller and administered over a longer period of time.

Orlando Sun-Sentinal – Trump: Autism Linked to Child Vaccinations
Insider – The powerful media mogul at the core of Trump’s debunked views on vaccines and autism
The New York Times – President Trump on Vaccines: From Skeptic to Cheerleader

said Biden was controlled by “people that are in the dark shadows”?

In an August 31, 2020 Fox News interview, Trump alleged a conspiracy about opponent Joe Biden, who had been a centrist Democrat for 47 years of public service.

INGRAHAM: Who do you think is pulling Biden’s strings. Is it former Obama people?

TRUMP: People that you’ve never heard of. People that are in the dark shadows. People that are-

INGRAHAM: What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory. Dark shadows, what is that?

TRUMP: People that you haven’t heard of. There are people that are on the streets. There are people that are controlling the streets. We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend and in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. They’re on a plane.

INGRAHAM: Where is-

TRUMP: I’ll tell you sometime, but it’s under investigation right now. But they came from a certain city, and this person was coming to the Republican National Convention. And there were like seven people on the plane like this person. And then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage. They were coming-

INGRAHAM: Planning for Washington.

TRUMP: Yeah, this is all happening.

INGRAHAM: But the money is coming from somewhere. How can it be tracked?

TRUMP: Money is coming from some very stupid rich people, that have no idea that if their thing ever succeeded, which it won’t, they will be thrown to the wolves like you’ve never seen before.

Trump seemed to be vaguely referencing protesters, who he also alleged had kept the city of Portland burning for “decades.” In the same interview, Trump compared killings by police to choking at golf.

NBC News – Trump claims without evidence that Biden controlled by people in ‘the dark shadows’
Politico – Trump alleges Biden controlled by people in ‘dark shadows’
CNN – The 35 most reckless lines from Donald Trump’s interview with Laura Ingraham

repeatedly suggested being President for more than 2 terms?

The Washington Post compiled multiple instances up to 2019, including one in which he expressed admiration for China’s lack of term limits:

Trump retweeted a claim that he should have two years added to his term because of the Mueller investigation.

In a deleted tweet, Trump reiterated the sentiment that two years had been “stollen”:

Twitter Users Bake Donald Trump Over His Deliciously Weird Typo ...

He reiterated the suggestion a month later.

The remarks on additional terms resurfaced as the 2020 election neared. Trump tweeted a meme about his never ending presidency:

On August 17, 2020, Trump said that he wanted a third term because of the Obama administration’s supposed spying on his campaign. The conspiracy theory, often referenced as Obamagate or Spygate, has been debunked.

Trump reiterated the claim on August 24, the first day of the Republican National Convention. He suggested 12 more years “because we caught them doing very bad things in 2016.”

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution states, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

Politico – Trump again jokes about extending his term past 2024
Politico – Trump: 2 years of my term were ‘stollen’
News18 – Donald Trump Tweets How Two Years of his Term were ‘Stollen,’ Which Is a German Bread
The Hill – Trump retweets Jerry Falwell Jr. suggesting his term should be extended by two years
Rolling Stone – Trump Says He’ll Seek a Third Term Because ‘They Spied On Me’ 
Wikipedia – Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution

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