Former President Donald Trump addressed a crowd consisting mostly of Republican voters in New Hampshire on Wednesday night, propagating false claims that "millions" of votes were stolen during the 2020 election and that it was rigged. The Guardian fact-checked his statements throughout the evening and found no evidence to support these allegations.
During a CNN town hall with potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, he took questions from New Hampshire Republicans and undeclared voters who plan to vote in the upcoming primary. However, just minutes after the event began, Trump veered off-topic claiming that thousands of Georgia ballots cast under deceased people's names came up empty.
One attendee, Susan Johnson, asked about voter ID laws' impact on election outcomes: "Considering cases like this are exceedingly rare," she said. "Why do you continue to promote such misinformation?"
Trump responded by doubling down on his falsehoods: "I have seen firsthand how millions of votes were stolen in this last election," he said. "And I don't want it happening again."
Fact-checkers at The Guardian quickly debunked these claims as they did not find any substantial evidence indicating widespread fraud or irregularities affecting any race outcomes.
In response to another question regarding Democratic opposition against stricter voter ID laws, former President Trump accused Democrats of being complicit in election fraud despite available data proving otherwise:
"The Democrats know what they're doing when they fight against voter ID laws," claimed Mr. Trump. "It only makes sense if they want more fraudulent voting practices."
New Hampshire resident Peter Thompson challenged this assertion: “There is no concrete proof supporting your claim that there has been significant tampering with our elections,” he pointed out.
Despite multiple audits confirming the integrity and accuracy of the 2020 U.S presidential election results nationwide - including those conducted by Republican-led states - many of Trump's supporters continue to believe his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.
Political analyst Laura Mitchell commented on the situation: "It is disheartening to see a former president perpetuate false information about our democratic process. It undermines trust in our system and creates an unnecessary divide among voters."
As the 2024 presidential race approaches, many are closely watching potential candidates like Donald Trump and their impact on the political landscape. The persistence of unsupported claims regarding election integrity remains a contentious issue within American politics.