Trump Manufactures an Election Crisis to Control the Midterms
Tonight, Donald Trump is expected to deliver an Oval Office address where he will reportedly make a major announcement related to America’s elections. Early reports suggest Trump will once again revive long-debunked claims about the 2020 election, centered on nonexistent voter fraud or imagined foreign interference.
Trump’s claims should come as no surprise. He has been obsessed with the 2020 election ever since he lost – culminating in his effort to overturn the will of the American people on January 6, 2021. Still, it is important to understand these claims and push back on them forcefully – as they are designed to justify greater control over the upcoming midterm elections, suppress voter turnout, and make it harder for voters to hold Trump and his party accountable.
Talking Points:
Donald Trump is trying to rewrite the past so that he can control the future. He knows that voters are unhappy with his record of higher costs, endless wars, and historic corruption. But rather than changing course, he’s reviving long-debunked conspiracy theories – and mobilizing the full force of the U.S. government – in an increasingly desperate effort to rig the election and make it harder for Americans to hold him accountable.
These conspiracies aren’t new – they’re part of a playbook Trump has been deploying for years. Long before tonight’s speech, Trump and his allies were plotting with far-right election deniers to cast doubt on future elections and justify abuse of power if the political winds turned against them.
Trump’s claims are entirely without merit and our elections are secure.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or foreign interference in the 2020 election.
The U.S. intelligence community found no evidence that any foreign actor altered vote tallies or changed election results in 2020.
More than 60 courts, including judges appointed by Trump himself, have already looked at his false claims about the 2020 election and rejected them.
None of this should come as a surprise. Election experts and democracy advocates have warned for months that Trump would resurrect false claims of voter fraud or foreign interference to justify greater federal interference in the midterm elections. Tonight's address appears to be the latest step in that effort.
We must reject these false claims because they undermine faith in American democracy. Concerns about election integrity should never be used as an excuse for politicians to manipulate the democratic process. Our elections belong to the American people – not to whichever president happens to be in office.
Published: July 2026