Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election

Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election
Part of Presidency of Donald Trump, transition of Joe Biden, democratic backsliding in the United States
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The electoral map for the 2020 election. Blue denotes the 306 electoral votes for Biden, while red denotes the 232 electoral votes for Trump.
Date
Location
Caused byFabricated claims of electoral fraud by Donald Trump[3][4][5]
GoalsTo overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election and install Donald Trump as president.
Methods
Resulted in
Casualties
Death(s)9
ChargedDonald Trump, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, January 6 rioters

After Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election,[6] Republican nominee and then-incumbent president Donald Trump pursued an unprecedented[7][8] effort to overturn the election,[a] with support and assistance from his campaign, proxies, political allies, and many of his supporters. These efforts culminated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack by Trump supporters, which was widely described as an attempted coup d'état.[20][21][22][23] One week later, Trump was impeached for incitement of insurrection but was acquitted by the Senate by a vote of 57–43, 10 votes short of the 67 votes (two-thirds of the Senate) required to convict him.

Trump and his allies used the "big lie" propaganda technique to promote numerous false claims and conspiracy theories asserting that the election was stolen by means of rigged voting machines, electoral fraud and an international communist conspiracy.[b] Trump pressed Department of Justice leaders to challenge the election results and publicly state the election was corrupt.[33][34][35] However, the attorney general, the director of National Intelligence, and the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – as well as some Trump campaign staff – dismissed these claims. State and federal judges, election officials, and state governors also determined that the claims were baseless.[36][37][38][39]

Trump loyalists, including Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and several Republican lawmakers from the House Freedom Caucus, attempted to keep Trump in power. At the state level, their tactics targeted state legislatures with the intent of changing the results or delaying the electoral vote certification at the Capitol.[40] At the national level, they promoted the idea that Vice President Mike Pence could refuse to certify the election results on January 6, 2021. Consequently, hundreds of elected Republicans, including members of Congress and governors, have refused to acknowledge Biden's victory;[41] a few have since decided to acknowledge it.[42][43]

Trump's legal team sought a path to bring a case before the Supreme Court, but none of the 63 lawsuits they filed were successful.[44][45][46][47] They especially pinned their hopes on Texas v. Pennsylvania, but on December 11, 2020, the Supreme Court declined to hear that case.[48] After that, Trump reportedly considered multiple ways to remain in power, including military intervention, seizing voting machines, and another appeal to the Supreme Court.[49][50][51]

In June 2022, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack said it had enough evidence to recommend that the Department of Justice indict Trump,[52] and on December 19, the committee formally made the criminal referral to the Justice Department.[53] On August 1, 2023, Trump was indicted by a D.C. grand jury for conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights;[54] he pleaded not guilty to all four charges.[55] On August 14, Trump and 18 co-defendants, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Jeffrey Clark and Kenneth Chesebro, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, were indicted in Fulton County, Georgia for their efforts to overturn the election results in that state.[56][57] Ten leaders of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups have been convicted of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Capitol attack.[58]

Trump continues to insist that the election was stolen,[59] telling a group of historians in mid-2021 that the election was "rigged and lost",[60] and publicly stating in August 2022 that he should be declared the president or a new election should be held "immediately".[61] As late as 2022, Trump supporters continued their attempts to overturn the election results, pushing for state legislature resolutions and new lawsuits, raising concerns among legal experts that public confidence in democracy is being undermined to lay the groundwork for baselessly challenging future elections.[62]

  1. ^ Chalfant, Morgan; Samuels, Brett (November 4, 2020). "Trump prematurely declares victory, says he'll go to Supreme Court". The Hill. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Liptak, Kevin; Stracqualursi, Veronica; Malloy, Allie (January 7, 2021). "Trump publicly acknowledges he won't serve a second term a day after inciting mob". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  3. ^ Woodward, Calvin; Dale, Maryclaire (November 6, 2020). "Fact Check: Trump Fabricates Election Corruption". New England Cable News. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Crowley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Funke, Daniel (November 20, 2020). "Dozens of claims about election fraud, debunked". PolitiFact. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  7. ^ Kumar, Anita; Orr, Gabby (December 21, 2020). "Inside Trump's pressure campaign to overturn the election". Politico. Retrieved January 17, 2023. Trump's efforts to cling to power are unprecedented in American history. While political parties have fought over the results of presidential elections before, no incumbent president has ever made such expansive and individualized pleas to the officials who oversee certification of the election results.
  8. ^ Sanger, David E. (November 19, 2020). "Trump's Attempts to Overturn the Election Are Unparalleled in U.S. History". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023. President Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election are unprecedented in American history and an even more audacious use of brute political force to gain the White House than when Congress gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency during Reconstruction.
  9. ^ Miller, Zeke; Long, Colleen; Eggert, David (November 20, 2020). "Trump tries to leverage power of office to subvert Biden win". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  10. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Rutenberg, Jim; Corasaniti, Nick; Epstein, Reid J. (November 20, 2020). "Trump Targets Michigan in His Ploy to Subvert the Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Trump presses Georgia governor to help subvert election". MarketWatch. Associated Press. December 5, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "The Growing Backlash Against Trump's Efforts To Subvert The Election". Consider This. NPR. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  13. ^ Raju, Manu; Herb, Jeremy (December 7, 2020). "House conservatives urge Trump not to concede and press for floor fight over election loss". CNN. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Snyder, Timothy (January 9, 2021). "The American Abyss". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (January 26, 2021). "Opinion: Trump's big lie wouldn't have worked without his thousands of little lies". CNN. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  16. ^ Wolfe, Jan; Heavey, Susan (January 25, 2021). "Trump lawyer Giuliani faces $1.3 billion lawsuit over 'big lie' election fraud claims". Reuters. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Block, Melissa (January 16, 2021). "Can The Forces Unleashed By Trump's Big Election Lie Be Undone?". NPR. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  18. ^ Pilkington, Ed (January 24, 2021). "Donald Trump is gone but his big lie is a rallying call for rightwing extremists". The Guardian. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference trump asks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Eastman v Thompson, et al., 8:22-cv-00099-DOC-DFM Document 260, 44 (S.D. Cal. May 28, 2022) ("Dr. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history. Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower – it was a coup in search of a legal theory. The plan spurred violent attacks on the seat of our nation's government, led to the deaths of several law enforcement officers, and deepened public distrust in our political process... If Dr. Eastman and President Trump's plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution. If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6 will repeat itself.").
  21. ^ Eisen, Norman; Ayer, Donald; Perry, Joshua; Bookbinder, Noah; Perry, E. Danya (June 6, 2022). Trump on Trial: A Guide to the January 6 Hearings and the Question of Criminality (Report). Brookings Institution. Retrieved January 17, 2023. [Trump] tried to delegitimize the election results by disseminating a series of far fetched and evidence-free claims of fraud. Meanwhile, with a ring of close confidants, Trump conceived and implemented unprecedented schemes to – in his own words – "overturn" the election outcome. Among the results of this "Big Lie" campaign were the terrible events of January 6, 2021 – an inflection point in what we now understand was nothing less than an attempted coup.
  22. ^ Harvey, Michael (2022). "Introduction: History's Rhymes". In Harvey, Michael (ed.). Donald Trump in Historical Perspective. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003110361-1. ISBN 978-1-003-11036-1. As with the Beer Hall Putsch, a would-be leader tried to take advantage of an already scheduled event (in Hitler's case, Kahr's speech; in Trump's, Congress's tallying of the electoral votes) to create a dramatic moment with himself at the center of attention, calling for bold action to upend the political order. Unlike Hitler's coup attempt, Trump already held top of office, so he was attempting to hold onto power, not seize it (the precise term for Trump's intended action is a 'self-coup' or 'autogolpe'). Thus, Trump was able to plan for the event well in advance, and with much greater control, including developing the legal arguments that could be used to justify rejecting the election's results. (p3)
  23. ^ Multiple media sources:
  24. ^ Stelter, Brian (January 11, 2021). "Experts warn that Trump's 'big lie' will outlast his presidency". CNN. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  25. ^ Castronuovo, Celine (January 8, 2021). "Biden says Cruz, other Republicans responsible for 'big lie' that fueled Capitol mob". The Hill. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Carlson, J. (December 14, 2020). "The Legitimacy and Effect of Private Funding in Federal and State Electoral Processes" (PDF). Got Freedom. Thomas More Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021. The confusion and negative effect from illegitimate infusion of private funding in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and several other states during the 2020 election can be shown to have had a disparate and inequitable impact on the electorate.
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference swenson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference wild was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ Farhi, Paul; Izadi, Elahe (November 20, 2020). "Rudy Giuliani floated 'dangerous' and incendiary false claims of election conspiracy – and Fox News broadcast it live". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference craziest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference WP-20201119 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ Multiple sources:[27][28][29][30][31]
  33. ^ Wild, Whitney; Herb, Jeremy; Fox, Lauren; Cohen, Zachary; Nobles, Ryan (June 15, 2021). "New emails show how Trump and his allies pressured Justice Department to try to challenge 2020 election results". CNN. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  34. ^ Herb, Jeremy (July 30, 2021). "Trump to DOJ last December: 'Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me'". CNN. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  35. ^ Cite error: The named reference TG-20210803 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  36. ^ Tapper, Jake (December 31, 2020). "At least 140 House Republicans to vote against counting electoral votes, two GOP lawmakers say". CNN. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  37. ^ Cite error: The named reference disputing trump was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  38. ^ Chen, Shawna (November 12, 2020). "Department of Homeland Security calls election 'the most secure in American history'". Axios. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference baseless was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ Benner, Katie; Edmondson, Catie; Broadwater, Luke; Feuer, Alan (December 16, 2021). "Meadows and the Band of Loyalists: How They Fought to Keep Trump in Power". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  41. ^ Kane, Paul; Clement, Scott (December 5, 2020). "Just 27 congressional Republicans acknowledge Biden's win, Washington Post survey finds". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  42. ^ Caldwell, Leigh Ann; Kapur, Sahil; Tsirkin, Julie (December 16, 2020). "McConnell congratulates Biden on his victory as more Republicans abandon Trump's fight". NBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  43. ^ Wise, Lindsay; Hughes, Siobhan (December 15, 2020). "More Republicans Now Say Joe Biden Is President-Elect". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  44. ^ Sherman, Amy; Valverde, Miriam (January 8, 2021). "Joe Biden is right that more than 60 of Trump's election lawsuits lacked merit". PolitiFact. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  45. ^ Cummings, William; Garrison, Joey; Sergent, Jim (January 6, 2021). "By the numbers: President Donald Trump's failed efforts to overturn the election". USA Today. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  46. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 8, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Republican Challenge to Pennsylvania Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  47. ^ Shamsian, Jacob; Sheth, Sonam (January 5, 2021). "Trump and Republican officials have won zero out of at least 42 lawsuits they've filed since Election Day". Business Insider. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  48. ^ Fordham, Evie (December 9, 2020). "Trump touts Texas Supreme Court case as 'the big one,' says 'we will be intervening'". Fox News. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  49. ^ Sonmez, Felicia; Dawsey, Josh; Lamothe, Dan; Zapotosky, Matt (December 21, 2020). "A frustrated Trump redoubles efforts to overturn election result". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  50. ^ Rahman, Rema (December 21, 2020). "No. 2 GOP senator: Efforts to overturn election would 'go down like a shot dog'". The Hill. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  51. ^ Woodruff Swan, Betsy (January 21, 2022). "Read the never-issued Trump order that would have seized voting machines". Politico. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  52. ^ Yen, Hope (June 13, 2022). "Jan. 6 Panelists: Enough Evidence Uncovered To Indict Trump". HuffPost. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  53. ^ Sangal, Aditi; Chowdhury, Maureen; Hammond, Elise; Macaya, Melissa; Wagner, Meg (December 19, 2022). "Live updates: Jan. 6 committee votes to issue criminal referrals against Trump". CNN. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  54. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Hsu, Spencer S.; Stein, Perry; Dawsey, Josh; Alemany, Jacqueline (August 1, 2023). "Trump charged in probe of Jan. 6, efforts to overturn 2020 election". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  55. ^ Sneed, Tierney (August 3, 2023). "Donald Trump pleads not guilty to January 6-related charges". CNN. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  56. ^ Singman, Brooke (August 14, 2023). "Meadows, Giuliani, others indicted along with Trump in Georgia 2020 election interference probe". Fox News. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  57. ^ Orden, Erica; Cheney, Kyle (August 15, 2023). "19 defendants: Here are all the people charged in the new Trump indictment". Politico. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  58. ^ Spencer S. Hsu; Rachel Weiner; Tom Jackman (May 4, 2023). "Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio, 3 others guilty of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy". The Washington Post.
  59. ^ Samuels, Brett (June 13, 2022). "Trump releases 12-page response to Jan. 6 hearing". The Hill. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  60. ^ Parsley, Aaron (April 5, 2022). "Trump Admits 'I Didn't Win' the 2020 Election During Video Call with Presidential Historians". People.com. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  61. ^ Feinberg, Andrew (August 29, 2022). "Trump demands 'new election immediately' in bizarre post on Truth Social". The Independent. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  62. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Berzon, Alexandra; Schmidt, Michael S. (April 18, 2022). "Trump Allies Continue Legal Drive to Erase His Loss, Stoking Election Doubts". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2022.


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