Important Note:
To view detailed information on the Trump campaign's ongoing legal dispute of the results of the 2020 election, click on the links immediately following each date of entry. More detailed information is available here (scroll down to the section entitled "U P D A T E S").
View opinion and commentary about the election results and the ongoing legal dispute here (scroll down to the section entitled "Post-election Analysis and Commentary).
Nov 30, 2020:
Wisconsin formally declares Biden won election following recount | The Hill
Arizona certifies Biden's victory over Trump | The Hill
Judge directs state officials not to reset Georgia voting machines | The Hill
Trump tweeted the following:
Why won't Governor @BrianKempGA, the hapless Governor of Georgia, use his emergency powers, which can be easily done, to overrule his obstinate Secretary of State, and do a match of signatures on envelopes. It will be a "goldmine" of fraud, and we will easily WIN the state.... [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
....Also, quickly check the number of envelopes versus the number of ballots. You may just find that there are many more ballots than there are envelopes. So simple, and so easy to do. Georgia Republicans are angry, all Republicans are angry. Get it done! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
A Kemp spokesperson said that "Georgia law prohibits the governor from interfering in elections."
Cody Hall, Kemp's communication's director, said that the Secretary of State (Brad Raffensperger) has oversight over elections that cannot be overridden by executive order.
Source:
Gstalter, Morgan. (November 30, 2020). "Georgia governor rejects Trump's call to 'overrule' elections officials with emergency powers". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
Trump, Donald. (November 30, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
Nov 29, 2020:
Recount confirms Biden's win in Wisconsin | The Hill
Speaking with host Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News program "Sunday Morning Futures", Trump said the following:
Well, the problem is, it's hard to get into the Supreme Court. I've got the best Supreme Court advocates, lawyers, that want to argue the case, if it gets there. They said, "It's very hard to get a case up there." Can you imagine, Donald Trump, president of the United States, files a case, and I probably can't get a case...We should be heard by the Supreme Court. Something has to be able to get up there, otherwise, what is the Supreme Court?
I'm going to use 125 percent of my energy to do it [get the Supreme Court to hear his case]. You need a judge that's willing to hear a case. You need a Supreme Court that's willing to make a real big decision.
Everything has to be approved by the legislature, and they had judges making deals, and they had electoral officials making deals like this character in Georgia who's a disaster [referring to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger].
And the governor's done nothing. He's done absolutely nothing [referring to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp]. I'm ashamed that I endorsed him. But I look what's going on. It's so terrible.
It's not like you're going to change my mind. In other words, my mind will not change in six months. There was tremendous cheating here.
Source:
Higgins, Tucker. (November 29, 2020). "Trump says his election challenges probably won't make it to the Supreme Court". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
Samuels, Brett. (November 29, 2020). "Trump on election claims: 'My mind will not change in six months'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
Samuels, Brett. (November 29, 2020). "Trump: 'I'm ashamed that I endorsed' Kemp in Georgia". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
The 40 most utterly unhinged lines from Donald Trump's first post-election interview | CNN
The CBS program "60 minutes" featured an interview with former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA) Director Christopher Krebs. Trump responded to the interview via Twitter:
.@60Minutes never asked us for a comment about their ridiculous, one sided story on election security, which is an international joke. Our 2020 Election, from poorly rated Dominion to a Country FLOODED with unaccounted for Mail-In ballots, was probably our least secure EVER! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Bowden, John. (November 29, 2020). "Trump rages against '60 Minutes' for interview with Krebs". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
Nov 28, 2020:
Pennsylvania high court tosses lawmaker's petition to halt election certification | Politico
Nov 27, 2020:
U.S. appeals court rejects Trump campaign's Pennsylvania election case | Reuters
Trump tweeted the following:
Twitter is sending out totally false "Trends" that have absolutely nothing to do with what is really trending in the world. They make it up, and only negative "stuff". Same thing will happen to Twitter as is happening to @FoxNews daytime. Also, big Conservative discrimination!
For purposes of National Security, Section 230 must be immediately terminated!!!
Source:
Coleman, Justine. (November 27, 2020). "Trump rails against Twitter in late night tweets". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
Trump tweeted the following:
Biden can only enter the White House as President if he can prove that his ridiculous "80,000,000 votes" were not fraudulently or illegally obtained. When you see what happened in Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia & Milwaukee, massive voter fraud, he's got a big unsolvable problem! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Shaw, Adam. (November 27, 2020). "Trump claims Biden must prove votes weren't 'illegally obtained' in order to enter White House". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
Commentary:
You've got to be kidding me. To tweet something THIS ridiculous, Trump is obviously feeling desperate now!
Biden doesn't have to prove a damn thing. It's you, Mr. President, who has to prove sufficient voter fraud.
Biden doesn't have a "big unsolvable problem" anywhere. This is just another one of Trump's manufactured, convoluted fantasies, fueled by his uncontrollable and massive ego.
At a news conference, Trump took offense to something said by Reuters reporter Jeff Mason, responding to Mason with:
Don't talk to me that way. You're just a lightweight. Don't talk to me that way. I'm the president of the United States. Don't ever talk to the president that way.
Watch the entire exchange in the Source link below.
Source:
Calicchio, Dom. (November 27, 2020). "Trump slams reporter who asks if he would concede election: 'Don't ever talk to the president that way!'". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
Nov 26, 2020:
Ex-Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell files lawsuits in Michigan, Georgia | The Hill
Sidney Powell files lawsuits in Georgia and Michigan alleging mass voter fraud | Washington Examiner
During a press call, Trump said he would leave the White House on January 20 if the Electoral College declares Joe Biden the winner.
Certainly I will [leave the White House]. And you know that. If they do, they made a mistake.
It's going to be a very hard thing to concede.
I don't know what is going to happen. I know one thing, Joe Biden did not get 80 million votes.
Source:
Choi, Joseph. (November 26, 2020). "Trump says he'll leave White House if Biden declared winner of Electoral College". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
Watch the full video of Trump's call on C-Span here.
Nov 25, 2020:
Minnesota certifies Biden victory | The Hill
Top GOP official wants court to void Arizona’s electoral votes for Biden | Arizona Capital Times
Trump phoned in to a public hearing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (announced yesterday by the Trump campaign) to voice his concerns about the 2020 election results. Here's some of what he said:
We have to turn the election over, because there's no doubt we have all the evidence, we have all the affidavits, we have everything. All we need is to have some judge listen to it properly without having a political opinion or having another kind of a problem, because we have everything and, by the way, the evidence is pouring in now as we speak.
I want to thank Rudy Giuliani for having the courage not to back down because they were being screamed at. He was the greatest mayor but this is more important. What you're doing now is far more important than being a great mayor of the city of New York and being its greatest mayor by far, by the way, by far, this is going to be your crowning achievement, because you're saving our country.
This election was lost by the Democrats. They cheated. It was a fraudulent election.
Source:
Satlin, Alana. (November 25, 2020). "Trump calls into Pennsylvania hearing, rambles about voter fraud on speakerphone". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
Chalfant, Morgan. (November 25, 2020). "Trump calls into Pennsylvania meeting to renew election claims". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
Watch the full video of the Gettysburg hearing on C-Span here.
Commentary:
Based on what Trump said, it sounds like he wants to "go fishing" for a judge who will "properly" listen to his campaign's case. Trump is one of the most litigious human beings on planet earth, and my guess is that this "fishing" strategy is something he learned from one of his early mentors, Roy Cohn.
Trump's comment about this being Giuliani's "crowing achievement" and that Giuliani is "saving our country" just makes me shake my head in disbelief. But this is Trump, so why should I be surprised?
Nov 24, 2020:
Pennsylvania certifies Biden victory | The Hill
Nevada Supreme Court unanimously approves Biden win | The Hill
Trump tweeted the following:
Remember, the GSA has been terrific, and Emily Murphy has done a great job, but the GSA does not determine who the next President of the United States will be.
Source:
Samuels, Brett. (November 24, 2020). "Trump makes one-minute appearance to tout Dow's 30,000". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
Trump tweeted the following, apparently quoting Vic Toensing from Newsmax:
"In Wisconsin, somebody has to be indefinitely confined in order to vote absentee. In the past there were 20,000 people. This past election there were 120,000...and Republicans were locked out of the vote counting process." @VicToensing @newsmax [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
(November 24, 2020). "President Trump's latest claims about Wis. absentee ballots debunked by election officials". NBC News/WTMJ-TV Milwaukee. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
Trump retweeted a video by former actor and Trump supporter Randy Quaid. In the video, Quaid reiterates Trump's previous claim of declining Fox News ratings. Quaid also says that the only difference between the 2016 and 2020 elections is Fox News. Along with the video, Quaid posted "TIME TO MAKE OAN & NEWSMAX RICH. FOX IS DEAD TO ME!"
Trump also responded to two other tweets by Quaid:
Are you listening Republicans?
Randy Quaid @RandyRRQuaid We've lost confidence in the system that elects our leaders. 79 million Americans believe election was rigged, the results fraudulent. We need an in-person-only-paper ballot re-vote, especially in the States where flagrant irregularities have occurred. No accuracy, no democracy! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Thank you Randy, working hard to clean up the stench of the 2020 Election Hoax!
Randy Quaid @RandyRRQuaid Never underestimate The greatest President this country has ever had. Trump is an astonishing man of the people, fighting for all of us, not Big Pharma! #AmericaFirst #KAG #TrumpPence2020 #StopTheSteaI2020 [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Samuels, Brett. (November 24, 2020). "Trump makes one-minute appearance to tout Dow's 30,000". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
Nov 23, 2020:
Michigan certifies Biden victory in another blow to Trump | The Hill
Pennsylvania Republicans sue in last-ditch effort to stop election certification | The Hill
Georgia is finalizing details of recount requested by Trump | Associated Press
Here's What To Expect As Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona And Nevada Certify Their Votes | Forbes
Rudy Giuliani: Sidney Powell not part of Trump's legal team | Fox News
Donald Trump finally found someone with a too-crazy conspiracy theory about the 2020 election | CNN
Trump tweeted the following, apparently quoting Vic Toensing from Newsmax:
What does GSA being allowed to preliminarily work with the Dems have to do with continuing to pursue our various cases on what will go down as the most corrupt election in American political history? We are moving full speed ahead. Will never concede to fake ballots & "Dominion". [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
(November 24, 2020). "President Trump's latest claims about Wis. absentee ballots debunked by election officials". NBC News/WTMJ-TV Milwaukee. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
Trump tweeted the following:
I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good...
...fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan; Samuels, Brett; Miller, Maggie. (November 23, 2020). "Trump tells GSA that Biden transition can begin". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
Nov 22, 2020:
The Facts on Trump's Post-Election Legal Challenges | FactCheck
Trump campaign appeals dismissal of Pennsylvania election challenge | The Hill
Giuliani distances Trump campaign from attorney Sidney Powell | The Hill
Trump campaign files for new recount in Georgia | The Hill
Trump tweeted the following:
Thanks Mark [Mark Levin, a Fox News commentator]. It's all a continuation of the never ending Witch Hunt. Judge Brann, who would not even allow us to present our case or evidence, is a product of Senator Pat "No Tariffs" Toomey of Pennsylvania, no friend of mine, & Obama - No wonder. 900,000 Fraudulent Votes! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
....WILL APPEAL!
Source:
Coleman, Justine. (November 22, 2020). "Trump campaign appeals dismissal of Pennsylvania election challenge". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
Nov 21, 2020:
Judge dismisses Trump camp's Pennsylvania lawsuit in scathing ruling | The Hill
Milwaukee officials accuse Trump observers of obstructing recount | The Hill
Trump tweeted the following, along with a copy of the statement released by Michigan state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (Republican):
Massive voter fraud will be shown! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Trump tweeted the following, along with a copy of the statement released by Michigan state Senate President Mike Shirkey (Republican):
This is true, but much different than reported by the media. We will show massive and unprecedented fraud! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Axelrod, Tal. (November 21, 2020). "Trump steps on Michigan lawmakers' message in tweets after meeting". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
Nov 20, 2020:
Michigan lawmakers say they will follow 'normal process' following Trump meeting | The Hill
Georgia certifies election results, making Biden win official | The Hill
Arizona's largest county certifies Biden win over Trump | Associated Press
Nevada judge won't block certifying election, rejects revote | Associated Press
Nov 19, 2020:
A Timeline of the Certification Process That Trump Is Trying to Disrupt | The New York Times
Fact checking Giuliani and the Trump legal team's wild, fact-free press conference | CNN
Sidney Powell: 'Trump Won By A Landslide, We Are Going To Prove It'
Fox Airs Giuliani Presser in Full Then Reports It Was All a Lie | Rolling Stone
Trump Campaign News Conference on Legal Challenges | C-Span
Rudy Giuliani Trump Campaign Press Conference Transcript November 19: Election Fraud Claims | Rev
Trump campaign legal fight keyed to court of public opinion | The Hill
Trump, attorneys step up efforts to reverse election's outcome | The Hill
Judge dismisses Arizona GOP lawsuit seeking audit of county's ballots | The Hill
Trump invites GOP Michigan lawmakers to White House amid challenge to election results | The Hill
Michigan Republican who balked at certifying election results says Trump called her | The Hill
Republicans in key Michigan county ask to rescind votes to certify election | The Hill
Trump campaign asks Pennsylvania court to declare Trump winner | The Hill
Nov 18, 2020:
Trump campaign to file for recount in two Wisconsin counties | The Hill
Georgia secretary of state says wife has received threatening texts about recount | The Hill
Nov 17, 2020:
Top Pennsylvania court rebuffs Trump campaign's vote-count observation lawsuit | The Hill
Michigan county reverses course, votes unanimously to certify election results | The Hill
Deadlocked board of canvassers in Michigan county fails to certify election results | The Hill
Giuliani to represent Trump campaign in Pennsylvania case | The Hill
Arizona GOP seeks to temporarily bar Maricopa Co. from certifying election results | The Hill
Trump tweeted the following:
The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud - including dead people voting, Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, "glitches" in the voting machines which changed... [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
...votes from Trump to Biden, late voting, and many more. Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Macias, Amanda. (November 17, 2020). "Trump says DHS cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs has been terminated". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
Trump, Donald. (November 17, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
Nov 16, 2020:
Georgia elections chief fires back at Trump over claims about recount process | The Hill
Nov 15, 2020:
Attorney Powell on election legal challenges that remain active in several states | Fox News
Trump tweeted the following:
He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn’t even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
All of the mechanical 'glitches' that took place on Election Night were really THEM getting caught trying to steal votes. They succeeded plenty, however, without getting caught. Mail-in elections are a sick joke! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING!" the president wrote. "We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Budryk, Zack. (November 15, 2020). "Trump walks back tweet saying Biden 'won' election". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
Nov 14, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following:
The Consent Decree signed by the Georgia Secretary of State, with the approval of Governor @BrianKempGA, at the urging of @staceyabrams, makes it impossible to check & match signatures on ballots and envelopes, etc. They knew they were going to cheat. Must expose real signatures! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
..What are they trying to hide. They know, and so does everyone else. EXPOSE THE CRIME! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Roche, Darraugh. (November 15, 2020). "Trump Rails Against Georgia Gov. Kemp for Consent Decree Aimed at Helping Minority Voters". Newsweek. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
Trump tweeted the following:
The hand recount taking place in Georgia is a waste of time. They are not showing the matching signatures. Call off the recount until they allow the MATCH. Don't let the Radical Left Dems STEAL THE ELECTION! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
They wouldn't let our Poll Watchers and Observers into the Counting Rooms. We win on that alone! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Hundreds of thousands of people showing their support in D.C. They will not stand for a Rigged and Corrupt Election! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
We will WIN!
Source:
Williams, Jordan. (November 14, 2020). "Trump rails against Georgia recount process". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
Schultz, Marisa. (November 14, 2020). "Thousands of Pro-Trump supporters descend on DC for 'Million MAGA March' near White House". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
Nov 13, 2020:
PRO-BIDEN BUG ALSO SUSPECTED IN GEORGIA'S VOTE-COUNTING SOFTWARE | RealClear Investigations
In key swing states this year, mail-in ballot rejections plummeted from 2016 rates | Just the News
BYRON YORK EXCLUSIVE: Trump talks post-election fight | Washington Examiner
Trump campaign drops effort seeking review of Arizona ballots | The Hill
Pennsylvania court rejects five Trump campaign, GOP legal challenges to ballots | The Hill
PA court rejects Trump camp's effort to block 9,000 absentee ballots after Election Day | Fox Newsl
Trump held a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House where he spoke about Operation Warp Speed. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump tweeted the following:
Georgia Secretary of State, a so-called Republican (RINO), won't let the people checking the ballots see the signatures for fraud. Why? Without this the whole process is very unfair and close to meaningless. Everyone knows that we won the state. Where is @BrianKempGA? [tagged with "Official sources called the election differently"]
Source:
Roche, Darraugh. (November 14, 2020). "Trump Rails Against Georgia Gov. Kemp for Consent Decree Aimed at Helping Minority Voters". Newsweek. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
Nov 12, 2020:
Michigan voters file federal lawsuit seeking to toss 1.2M ballots | Washington Examiner
Trump campaign wins case on Pa. voter ID deadline | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Trump tweeted the following:
It took long enough! What is taking North Carolina so long? Are they looking for more ballots to fix that one also? Now with a recount, we will win Georgia also. Pennsylvania & Michigan wouldn’t let our Poll Watchers & Observers into counting rooms. Illegal! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Singman, Brooke. (November 12, 2020). "Trump slams delay in North Carolina vote count, presses for Arizona audit". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
Trump tweeted the following:
"REPORT: DOMINION DELETED 2.7 MILLION TRUMP VOTES NATIONWIDE. DATA ANALYSIS FINDS 221,000 PENNSYLVANIA VOTES SWITCHED FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP TO BIDEN. 941,000 TRUMP VOTES DELETED. STATES USING DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS SWITCHED 435,000 VOTES FROM TRUMP TO BIDEN."@ChanelRion@OANN [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Trump, Donald. (November 12, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
Trump tweeted the following:
.@FoxNews daytime ratings have completely collapsed. Weekend daytime even WORSE. Very sad to watch this happen, but they forgot what made them successful, what got them there. They forgot the Golden Goose. The biggest difference between the 2016 Election, and 2020, was @FoxNews!
Source:
Samuels, Brett. (November 12, 2020). "Trump criticizes Fox: 'They forgot the Golden Goose'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
Nov 11, 2020:
Trump, GOP drop Nevada court appeal of ballot count case | Associated Press
Trump campaign files federal suit in Michigan to block results from being certified | The Hill
Georgia secretary of state announces hand recount of presidential race | The Hill
Trump tweeted the following:
Nobody wants to report that Pennsylvania and Michigan didn't allow our Poll Watchers and/or Vote Observers to Watch or Observe. This is responsible for hundreds of thousands of votes that should not be allowed to count. Therefore, I easily win both states. Report the News! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Trump, Donald. (November 11, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
Trump tweeted the following:
The Fake Pollsters at @ABC/@washingtonpost produced a possibly illegal suppression Poll just before the Election showing me down 17 points in Wisconsin when, in fact, on Election Day, the race was even - & we are now preparing to win the state. Many such "deplorable" instances!
Source:
Trump, Donald. (November 11, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
Trump tweeted the following about Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt (the person overseeing the election process):
A guy named Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Commissioner and so-called Republican (RINO), is being used big time by the Fake News Media to explain how honest things were with respect to the Election in Philadelphia. He refuses to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty. We win! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Brown, Natasha. (November 11, 2020). "'Completely Ridiculous Allegations': Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt Defends Election Integrity After President Trump's Tweet". CBS Philadelphia. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
Speaking with host Lou Dobbs in an interview on Fox Business, Rudy Giuliani said the following:
We now are up to a count of about 650,000 ballots that are unlawful ballots that were cast in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. No doubt about the fact they're unlawful...What's being said in the mass media, that we have no evidence, is a complete, absolute lie, just like they've been lying for years.
Giuliani also said that "almost none" of the ballots were observed by a Republican.
Source:
Victory Smith, Haley. (November 11, 2020). "Rudy Giuliani claims 650,000 votes were counted unlawfully in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
Nov 10, 2020:
The Times Called Officials in Every State: No Evidence of Voter Fraud | The New York Times
During a news conference at the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the following:
There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. We're ready. The world is watching what's taking place. We're gonna count all the votes. When the process is complete, there'll be electors selected. There's a process. The Constitution lays it out pretty clearly.
The United States has an election system that is laid out deeply in our Constitution, and we're going to make sure that we get that right. You want every vote to be counted. You want to run the process.
Source:
Kheel, Rebecca. (November 10, 2020). "Pompeo on election results: 'There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
Nov 9, 2020:
Barr authorizes Justice to probe any 'substantial allegations' of voter fraud | The Hill
Trump campaign sues to block Pennsylvania election result | Associated Press
Kentucky AG joins lawsuit in Pennsylvania election case | Associated Press
State GOP lawmakers call for election audit after Trump's fraud claims | York Dispatch
Trump tweeted the following:
As I have long said, @Pfizer and the others would only announce a Vaccine after the Election, because they didn't have the courage to do it before. Likewise, the @US_FDA should have announced it earlier, not for political purposes, but for saving lives!
Source:
Trump, Donald. (November 9, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
During an interview with host William Brangham on the PBS Newhour, when asked about the timing of today's Pfizer announcement regarding COVID-19 vaccine development, Dr. Albert Bourla, the chairman and CEO of Pfizer, said the following:
Of course, there was no political considerations in the timing of this announcement. And there was nothing political in the whole process to develop this vaccine, despite the fact that it was discussed, unfortunately, in political terms, rather than scientific terms.
I had sent a letter to our employees just two days after the first presidential debate in the U.S., telling them that some people are telling us to move faster, and some people are telling us to move slower. We are going to move with the speed of science. And this is exactly what we did. And if the results were coming in October, as I was predicting, we will have told them in October. They came a bit later, and we disclosed the results immediately.
Source:
(November 9, 2020). "Pfizer's CEO on preliminary COVID-19 vaccine data". PBS. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
Vice President Mike Pence tweeted the following:
Told @VP Team Today, "it ain't over til it's over.. and this AIN'T over!" President @realDonaldTrump has never stopped fighting for us and we're gonna Keep Fighting until every LEGAL vote is counted!
Source:
Singman, Brooke. (November 9, 2020). "Pence on 2020 race: 'It ain't over til it's over...and this AIN'T over!'". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
Nov 7, 2020:
Trump campaign files new election-related lawsuit in Arizona | The Hill
Republican lawsuit over Sharpie-marked ballots in Arizona to be dropped | The Hill
The Trump legal team's failed Four Seasons press conference, explained | Vox
Trump's legal team held a press conference in Philadelphia at Four Seasons Total Landscaping. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump tweeted the following:
I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT! [tagged with "Official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted"]
71,000,000 Legal Votes. The most EVER for a sitting President!
THE OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTING ROOMS. I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES. BAD THINGS HAPPENED WHICH OUR OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WERE SENT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER ASKED FOR THEM! [tagged with "This claim about election fraud is disputed"]
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (November 7, 2020). "Trump refuses to accept Biden victory, promises legal challenges". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
Trump, Donald. (November 7, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
Gringlas, Sam; Neuman, Scott; Domonoske, Camila. (November 7, 2020). "'Far From Over': Trump Refuses To Concede As Biden's Margin Of Victory Widens". NPR. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
Trump also released the following statement:
We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor. In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.
Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room – and then fight in court to block their access.
So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands.
Source:
(November 7, 2020). "Text of statement from U.S. President Donald Trump". CTV News/Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
Murtaugh, Tim. (November 7, 2020). "Tim Murtaugh | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
Nov 6, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following:
Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (November 6, 2020). "Trump says Biden should not 'wrongfully' claim victory in presidential race". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
Nov 5, 2020:
Trump sues in 3 states, laying ground for contesting outcome | Associated Press
With counting winding down, Trump lawsuits dismissed in Georgia and Michigan | The Denver Post
Trump delivered a 17-minute speech at an evening press briefing at the White House.
Here are excerpts from what he said (bold added for emphasis):
I’d like to provide the American people with an update on our efforts to protect the integrity of our very important 2020 election. If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us. If you count the votes that came in late, we're looking to them very strongly, but a lot of votes came in late.
I've already decisively won many critical states, including massive victories in Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, to name just a few. We won these and many other victories despite historic election interference from big media, big money, and big tech. As everybody saw, we won by historic numbers, and the pollsters got it knowingly wrong. They got it knowingly wrong. We had polls that were so ridiculous and everybody knew it at the time.
These really phony polls, I have to call them phony polls, fake polls, were designed to keep our voters at home, create the illusion of momentum for Mr. Biden and diminish Republican's ability to raise funds. They were what's called suppression polls, everyone knows that now, and it’s never been used to the extent that it's been used on this last election.
There are now only a few states yet to be decided in the presidential race. The voting apparatus of those states are run in all cases by Democrats. We were winning in all the key locations by a lot, actually, and then our numbers started miraculously getting whittled away in secret and they wouldn't allow legally permissible observers.
There are lots of litigation, even beyond our litigation. There's a tremendous amount of litigation generally because of how unfair this process was, and I predicted that. I've been talking about mail-in voting for a long time. It's really destroyed our system. It's a corrupt system and it makes people corrupt, even if they aren't by nature, but they become corrupt. It's too easy. They want to find out how many votes they need, and then they seem to be able to find them. They wait and wait, and then they find them, and you see that on Election Night.
We were ahead in vote in North Carolina by a lot, a tremendous number of votes, and we're still ahead by a lot, but not as many because they're finding ballots all of a sudden. "Oh, we have some mail-in ballots." It's amazing how those mail-in ballots are so one-sided too. I know that it's supposed to be to the advantage of the Democrats, but in all cases they're so one-sided.
We were up by nearly 700,000 votes in Pennsylvania. I won Pennsylvania by a lot. And that gets whittled down to, I think they said now we're up by 90,000 votes and they'll keep coming and coming and coming. They find them all over and they don't want us to have any observers.
Our goal is to defend the integrity of the election. We'll not allow the corruption to steal such an important election, or any election for that manner. And we can't allow silence, anybody to silence our voters and manufacture results.
People know what's happening and they see what's happening and just before their eyes, and there are many instances which will be reported very shortly.
They're trying to rig an election and we can't let that happen. Detroit and Philadelphia, known as two of the most corrupt political places anywhere in our country easily, cannot be responsible for engineering the outcome of a presidential race, a very important presidential race.
Democrat officials never believed they could win this election honestly, I really believe that. That's why they did the mail-in ballots, where there's tremendous corruption and fraud going on. That's why they mailed out tens of millions of unsolicited ballots without any verification measures whatsoever, and I've told everybody that these things would happen because I've seen it happen...This was unprecedented in American history. This was by design.
We want every legal vote counted, and I want every legal vote counted. We want openness and transparency, no secret count rooms, no mystery ballots, no illegal votes being cast after Election Day.
So that's the way this country is going to win. That's the way the United States will win, and we think we will win the election very easily. We think there's going to be a lot of litigation because we have so much evidence, so much proof, and it's going to end up perhaps at the highest court in the land, we'll see. But we think there'll be a lot of litigation because we can't have an election stolen by like this.
It's not a question of who wins, Republican, Democrat, Joe, myself. We can't let that happen to our country. We can't be disgraced by having something like this happen...But there's been a lot of shenanigans and we can't stand for that in our country. Thank you very much.
Source:
(November 5, 2020). "Donald Trump White House Press Conference as Election Counts Continue Transcript November 5". Rev. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
Watch the full video of the press briefing and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Commentary:
Based on the video, it appeared that Trump was reading from a written statement. My guess is that his advisors suggested that he do that in order to keep his emotions in check and so he didn't go off-script. The same goes for why he didn't take any questions from the press.
In the statement, Trump said that according to the "legal" vote count he "easily" wins. At present, and until Trump and his lawyers can prove otherwise, the existing vote count IS legal. Who wins will be determined over the next 2-3 days as all remaining ballots are counted.
Trump's claim of "historic election interference", blaming "big media", "big money", "big tech", and "phony pollsters", is just something he's concocted in his head, and perhaps something he will later try to use during litigation to support his case.
It's common knowledge that media and money are ALWAYS a big factor when it comes to elections. That's not interference, it's just "business as usual" (like it or not) when it comes to elections. Any issues Trump has with the media are his own fault. If Trump hadn't "made his bed" with the media a long, long time ago because of his lies, then he wouldn't be so vilified by them.
His claim about "big tech", I assume, refers to the accusation by conservatives that Google, Facebook, and Twitter haven't "played fair" with conservative content. I think that subject is up for debate. But again, Trump has no one else but himself to blame for the way social media has recently been flagging content when it's questionable, disputed, or misleading. If you don't want your tweets or Facebook posts flagged or removed, I suggest you live in the "real world", tell the truth, and stop supporting conspiracy theories.
Trump comments about "phony polls", "designed to keep our voters at home, create the illusion of momentum for Mr. Biden and diminish Republican's ability to raise funds" is nothing short of preposterous. It's laughable and totally ridiculous.
First of all, as more and more of the votes are being tallied, it appears that pollsters might not have been as far off as originally thought.
Second, Trump always has to find someone or something to blame for his woes. This time it's a "grand scheme" by phony pollsters. If pollsters keep doing their job poorly, guess what? At some point they no longer have a job. The reality is, it appears that "shy" Trump voters were even more prevalent in 2020 than in 2016.
Third, how does "phony polling" affect Republican's ability to raise funds? Is Trump saying that "his" people were less likely to donate to his campaign because they thought Biden was going to win (based on polls)? Sorry, I'm not buying that argument, and neither will anyone else. Trump supporters are "rabid" and they didn't believe the polls either. I think the overwhelming majority of voters in America have very strong feelings about Trump, one way or the other, and polls would have little effect on them. This is just another concoction in Trump's head.
Fourth, if we did have "suppression polls" in the 2020 election, OK, so what? How would you prove it? As far as I know it's not unlawful, and I think you've have a pretty difficult time making a legal case that a poll "suppressed" voters from voting. Here again, for the umpteenth time, the hypocrisy of Trump is crystal clear. If Trump really believes what he says (that the polls were "phony"), well, how about all of the phony, unethical, and borderline illegal things Trump has said and done, not only since he was elected president, but in all of his prior business dealings as well? Apparently, in Trump's mind it's OK for him to behave badly, but not for anyone else. THAT is hypocrisy on a grand scale.
Trump said that people "find out how many votes they need", that they wait, and then they find them. Trump is paranoid and delusional, BIG-TIME! People aren't sleuthing around in the dark corners of ballot counting facilities, searching for additional ballots. Nor are they "waiting" and watching the counts. They are doing their job, which is to verify and count ballots, period. The volume of mail-in ballots in this election is huge, and it's taking a really long time to process them. Battleground states have been releasing count updates in batches as they are completed. THAT'S IT!
Mail-in voting has not "destroyed our system" as Trump said. It's not "corrupt", and it doesn't make people corrupt. Does mail-in voting fraud happen on a lesser scale? Yes, but Trump is going to have to prove that it's on a scale large enough to make a difference in the election results.
Trump said that he believes Democrats didn't believe they could win the 2020 election honestly, and that's why they pushed for more mail-in ballots. Trump can believe anything he wants, but that doesn't make it so. Democrats wanted more mail-in ballots because they had LEGITIMATE, REAL CONCERNS about the coroanvirus pandemic and having to wait in long lines at polling stations. This might be something that Trump and his supporters just don't "get" (because they don't seem nearly as concerned about the pandemic as liberals), but it's REAL to Democrats. It wasn't "by design" as Trump said. That's just complete, total Trump B.S.
And then, at the end of his statement, Trump says It's not a question of who wins, Republican, Democrat, Joe, myself. We can't let that happen to our country."
Do YOU believe Trump when he says this? I don't. I think it's just another attempt by Trump at trying to appear concerned, patriotic, and non-partisan. Don't kid yourself. Trump's ego reigns supreme, all the time, regardless of the circumstance.
Early in the day Trump tweeted the following:
STOP THE COUNT!
About an hour later he tweeted:
ANY VOTE THAT CAME IN AFTER ELECTION DAY WILL NOT BE COUNTED!
Factcheck.org notes and breaks down more of Trump's tweets over the past three days which you can read about here.
Speaking on "Fox & Friends", former Trump advisor KellyAnne Conway said:
They spent three years investigating the president, impeaching the president. We can't wait three hours, three days, three weeks, to get a result? ... What is the rush?
Source:
Rupar, Aaron. (November 5, 2020). "Trump's desperate 'STOP THE COUNT!' tweet, briefly explained". Vox. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the following:
The total lack of action from virtually all of the "2024 GOP hopefuls" is pretty amazing. They have a perfect platform to show that they're willing & able to fight but they will cower to the media mob instead. Don't worry @realDonaldTrump will fight & they can watch as usual!
Eric Trump tweeted the following:
Where are Republicans! Have some backbone. Fight against this fraud. Our voters will never forget you if your [sic] sheep!
Source:
Axelrod, Tal. (November 5, 2020). "Trump Jr. calls out 2024 GOP hopefuls for 'lack of action'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
Nov 4, 2020:
Trump campaign says it is suing to stop Michigan and Pennsylvania ballot counts | CNBC
Trump was very active on Twitter today.
Here are some of his tweets (in chronological order):
Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled. Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted. VERY STRANGE, and the "pollsters: got it completely & historically wrong! [flagged by Twitter as disputed]
How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? [flagged by Twitter as disputed]
They are finding Biden votes all over the place — in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. So bad for our Country!
Wow! It looks like Michigan has now found the ballots necessary to keep a wonderful young man, John James, out of the U.S. Senate. What a terrible thing is happening!
We are winning Pennsylvania big, but the PA Secretary of State just announced that there are "Millions of ballots left to be counted."
We have claimed, for Electoral Vote purposes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (which won't allow legal observers) the State of Georgia, and the State of North Carolina, each one of which has a BIG Trump lead. Additionally, we hereby claim the State of Michigan if, in fact,.....[tagged with "Official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted"]
Source:
Brewster, Jack. (November 4, 2020). "Trump Floats Baseless Conspiracy Theory About 'Very Strange' Ballot Dumps As Michigan, Wisconsin Tilt Blue". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
Levin, Bess. (November 4, 2020). "JOE BIDEN IS CLOSING IN ON THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND ALL DONALD TRUMP CAN DO IS ANGRILY TWEET ABOUT IT". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
Speaking to a group of supporters in the East Room of the White House in the "wee" hours of the morning, Trump declared he won the election, despite the fact that many battleground states were still counting ballots (most of which are mail-in) and that no major news organization had yet declared a winner.
Here are excerpts of what he said:
Millions and millions of people voted for us tonight and a very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people and we will not stand for it. We won't stand for it.
This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.
We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we will be going to the U.S. Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop. We don't want them to find any ballots at 4 o'clock in the morning and add them to the list.
Watch the full video and read a transcript of Trump's remarks on C-Span here.
Read a transcript of Trump's remarks on Rev here.
Source:
Singman, Brooke. (November 4, 2020). "Trump claims victory with many states still undeclared, hints at possible Supreme Court case". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
Basu, Zachary. (November 4, 2020). "Trump falsely and prematurely claims election victory". Axios. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
Commentary:
As predicted and expected, Trump just couldn't sit still and wait for ALL the ballots to be counted. Instead of behaving like any other normal human being, his ego, as always, got the best of him.
Trump refers to a "very sad group of people" trying to "disenfranchise" everyone that voted for him. IT'S TRUMP WHO'S TRYING TO DISENFRANCHISE voters, not the other way around.
There is no "fraud on the American public", and the only "embarrassment" is Trump himself. Trump's remarks are just the continuation of his relentless campaign to convince himself and the rest of the world that mail-in voting is rife with massive fraud.
Trump made claims of a "rigged" election back in 2016, and here he is in 2020 making essentially the same claim. He's paranoid, delusional, and because of his "bigger than life itself" ego he just can't bear or accept the idea of losing, especially to someone like Joe Biden.
Just before 1:00 am (EST) Trump tweeted the following:
We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!
The tweet was labeled as "Some or all of the content shared in this tweet is disputed might be misleading about an election or other civic process." by Twitter
Source:
Singman, Brooke. (November 4, 2020). "Twitter flags Trump tweet warning Democrats 'trying to steal' the election as 'misleading'". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
Nov 3, 2020:
Speaking to reporters at the Trump campaign's Arlington, Virginia office Trump said:
I'm not thinking about concession speech or acceptance speech yet. Hopefully we'll be only doing one of those two. Winning is easy. Losing is never easy. Not for me it's not...We should be entitled to know who won on Nov. 3.
Trump also said that "depending on the extent of victory", it could be clear which candidate has won on election night.
Source:
Samuels, Brett. (November 3, 2020). "Trump during visit with campaign staff: 'Winning is easy. Losing is never easy'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
Nov 2, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in near Scranton, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Traverse City, Michigan. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump tweeted the following:
The Supreme Court decision on voting in Pennsylvania is a VERY dangerous one. It will allow rampant and unchecked cheating and will undermine our entire systems of laws. It will also induce violence in the streets. Something must be done!
The tweet was labeled as "Some or all of the content shared in this tweet is disputed might be misleading about an election or other civic process." by Twitter
Source:
Samuels, Brett; Kruzel, John. (November 2, 2020). "Trump baselessly claims Supreme Court's ruling on Pennsylvania mail ballots will 'induce violence'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
In a related story, PBS news anchor Judy Woodruff interviewed Erin Perrine, the communications director for Trump's reelection campaign. When asked about the possibility of Trump claiming that election results are not legitimate unless declared on election night, Perrine responded with the following:
I would point to the history in 2016 of President Trump's first election, when he won in the wee hours of the following morning, when he got to come out and make that acceptance speech as becoming the next president of the United States.
What Democrats want to do is sow chaos into this election and call it a red mirage and a smokescreen. Democrats are already trying to sow disinformation into the results of the election to tell the American people they cannot believe what they will see with their own eyes.
We know the data. We know where the voters are. We will get them out. It's Democrats who are trying to not accept the election results that will come tomorrow, when President Trump wins again.
Source:
(November 2, 2020). "Trump and Biden representatives on final campaign strategies". PBS. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
Commentary:
First, just because Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 election in the "wee hours" is not a good reason, justification, or requirement for the same thing happening in 2020. 2020 is not 2016. 2020 has seen a coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. and the world. In a pandemic, certain things have to change, and if that requires a break from tradition (or what I think many Trumpians see as a "norm"), then for the health and welfare of EVERYONE, that's the way it has to be.
Next, Perrine says that Democrats are the ones trying to "sow chaos" by stating there could be a "red mirage" and a "smokescreen." Wow, really? Are you kidding me? TRUMP IS THE ONE SOWING CHAOS, NOT DEMOCRATS! The "red mirage" idea came into being not to sow chaos. It came into being because of the reality of the large increase in mail-in voting and the reality that it will most likely take extra time to count all of the mail-in ballots. That's not chaos, unless you choose to label it that way for political purposes (by claiming that it's going to create chaos, that there is going to be rampant fraud, and that it might not even be lawful), which is exactly what Trump and his supporters have done and continue to do.
Perrine states that Democrats are trying to "sow disinformation into the results of the election". NO, COMPLETELY, CATEGORICALLY WRONG! Democrats just want a fair election. They want ALL votes counted. That's it. Period. End of story.
Then Perrine says that Democrats are trying to tell Americans not to believe the election results. NO, THAT'S ALSO NOT TRUE! I think what Perrine is saying, in effect, is that the election results are in fact going to be known on election night, or shortly thereafter. I think that she is so confidant in the political and demographic modeling that she spoke of earlier in the interview, that she believes, just like Trump, that there's no way Trump can lose, and that there's no way the election winner won't be declared right away.
Is it possible that either Trump or Biden might have an insurmountable lead prior to all mail-in ballots being counted? I suppose it's possible, but with the vast number of mail-in ballots being cast, and the fact that a significant number of battleground states don't allow mail-in ballots to be processed until election day, I think it's much more likely that a large percentage of mail-in ballots will need to be counted before we know the final result, which might take several days.
What Trump said yesterday (see Nov 1, 2020 entry below) aligns perfectly with Perrine's statements. Trump said he is "going in with our lawyers...as soon as the election is over." The BIG question is, what will constitute the election being "over" according to Trump? I think Trump might in fact make some declaration late on election night, or sometime the next morning, that the election is "over" (in his mind). He might make a declaration to stop counting uncounted mail-in ballots. He might even declare a bogus national emergency. Or, he might have something else "up his sleeve."
It's clear that Trump and everyone who supports him firmly believe he will win the election. And as he's stated many times over the past couple of months, he firmly believe's that the only way he can lose is by mail-in fraud.
Trump is still a grave danger to our democracy, and tomorrow, on election day 2020, America is, in all likelihood, going to see more of Trump's ugly, ego-driven "true colors" on full display.
Nov 1, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Washington, Michigan. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Hickory, North Carolina. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
At the North Carolina rally, Trump once again recited the lyrics to the song "The Snake", written by the late singer-songwriter Oscar Brown Jr. Trump has used the song lyrics in the past to dramatize his hard-line immigration policies.
Brown's daughters have previously chastised the way in which Trump has used the song.
Source:
Bowden, John. (November 1, 2020). "Trump revives 'The Snake' reading at North Carolina rally". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
Talking to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump said the following:
I think it's a terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election. I think it's a terrible thing when people or states are allowed to tabulate ballots for a long period of time after the election is over because it can only lead to one thing.
I think there is great danger to it, and I think a lot of fraud and misuse can take place...We're going to go in the night of — as soon as the election is over — we're going in with our lawyers.
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (November 1, 2020). "Trump denies he will prematurely declare victory, signals election legal challenges". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
Commentary:
Trump's claim is that tabulating ballots after an election can only mean one thing - fraud. Really? Isn't it within the realm of possibility that it might just mean Americans will get an accurate vote count, and that no voters will be disenfranchised? Isn't it possible that by ensuring that ALL votes are counted and tabulated that our democracy will validated, instead of eroded?
With Trump, it's always black and white. With Trump it's always extreme. With Trump, what he says and does comes from his own little "bubble of reality", not objective reality. With Trump it's ALWAYS ABOUT EGO AND WINNING, regardless of any negative consequences. As president, he is an extremely dangerous man.
Trump said he's "going in" with his lawyers after the election. Gee, what a surprise! We'll see if his enormous, insatiable ego will actually be able to withstand the temptation to declare victory on the night of the election or shortly thereafter (knowing that many more mail-in ballots have yet to be counted), if in fact he's ahead.
Regarding the incident two days ago in Texas where a caravan of Trump supporters surrounded a Joe Biden campaign bus, Trump tweeted the following:
In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong. Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people!
Source:
Bowden, John. (November 1, 2020). "Trump rebukes FBI for investigating supporters accused of harassing Biden bus". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
Commentary:
If you watch the video, you clearly see a vehicle from the caravan (a pickup truck flying two flags in the bed) aggressively swerve into a white vehicle immediately behind the bus, hitting it, and forcing it into the left lane.
According to Trump, the driver of that vehicle is a "patriot", and that driver "did nothing wrong." Not much else I need to say because what Trump said speaks for itself.
All of us have lived with the American myths of "the shining city on the hill", "American exceptionalism", and, more ominously yet insidiously, "white privilege."
The people that created Trump started with these narratives and convinced a sizable chunk of Americans that they had been excluded from these "truths" and that they could rise up from under the boot and reclaim what they had been robbed of. Then they were made to believe that only Trump could deliver this and lead them to the "promised land."
Furthermore they were told "others" had stolen this from them and those "others" must be shoved away. Then the Chosen One, Trump, would guarantee them their place at the head of the table, while forcing those "others" to subservient positions and/or deportation. This is the only way I can grasp the Trump influence.
I defend and support the Office of The President of The United States of America as a US Citizen. As a US Citizen I am obligated to rise up and speak out when the occupant of that office proves completely unfit. The First Amendment guarantees this. Four long, arduous years of this occupant must end now. His unfitness is total. VOTE HIM OUT. Then lets begin the healing and undoing of all the damage he has spawned, together.
What's worse than a Trump rally? Four in one day. While his belligerence and audacity attract his ardent supporters, his lies and deceptions spew forth. I wish I could understand the appeal he holds for these same people. I'm just not seeing it.
When his veneer wears off and these current rabid fans see him as the hollow man and loudmouth bully, they will have to look in their mirrors. The extreme denial staring back at them will result in lashing out, violence, and hatred personified.
The TX bus blocking and NJ and NY highway and bridge blockades are just the start. His supporters cannot accept they have been played by the biggest conman in American history. When the "pitchforks" come out they will mostly not be marching on Trump and the AR-15's will be the implement of choice. 11/3 will be the starting line.