John,
Even after January 6th, Donald Trump never stopped lying about the 2020 election. So, it’s no surprise that when Joe Biden passed the torch to Kamala Harris, Trump’s 2024 election lie began to take shape.
According to Trump, by changing nominees, Democrats are once again plotting to steal the November election.
Of course, Trump’s claims have no basis in fact. But then again, neither does his absurd assertion that photos of a massive Kamala Harris rally this weekend were faked using artificial intelligence.
When we think of Trump’s stolen election claims in 2020, we mostly recall what happened after November – the attempt to replace electors, pressure campaigns in states like Georgia to audit election results, and, of course, the “Stop the Steal” rally and the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6.
But these conspiracies didn’t emerge overnight. Trump and his allies spent 2020 priming his audience to question any result they didn’t like.
From spreading lies about early and absentee voting to accusing poll workers of rigging results, by the time voters went to the polls in 2020, Donald Trump’s base was already conditioned to believe that a Joe Biden victory could only happen if Democrats stole the election.
Now, with Kamala Harris showing real momentum and strength, Trump is priming his base once again.
According to the New York Times, Donald Trump has explicitly said Democrats are trying to cheat him by replacing Biden on the ticket, just as they did in 2020 by changing voting rules because of COVID.
His campaign pollster and strategists are baselessly claiming that the polls are wrong. Their argument essentially boils down to this: the only way the polls could be accurate is if they showed Donald Trump ahead.
So Trump is lying again—what’s new?
But, John, we’ve already seen what happens when Trump lies and the right-wing media amplifies those lies. Thanks to Trump and Fox News, polling suggests that a majority of Republicans now believe that Democrats stole the 2020 election.
The good news is that we’ve seen this play out before, and at COURIER, we’re ready to stop the spread of election lies in our 11 swing state newsrooms. We correct the record in real time by making factual journalism freely available in the online spaces where voters are most likely to encounter election lies and conspiracies. We are the factual antidote to misinformation in a moment when election lies can bloom into toxic violence and division.
|
Express Donate: If you've stored your info with ActBlue Express, we'll process your contribution instantly:
|
Thank you,
COURIER