Donald Trump allies and RNC delegates are preparing to challenge the next election well in advance, echoing past efforts to contest election results.
Four years ago, Republicans attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, sparking a violent riot at the U.S. Capitol based on unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
Now, despite Trump’s renewed prominence in the GOP and favorable polling suggesting he could reclaim the White House, Republican hardliners are once again focusing on election fraud at their convention in Milwaukee.
One of the key groups Republicans are focusing on ahead of the November election is illegal immigrants, with figures like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Sen. Ted Cruz stoking fears and alleging a Democratic scheme to exploit illegal voters.
“We cannot allow the many millions of illegal aliens they allowed to cross our borders, harm our citizens, or disrupt our elections. We will not allow it, said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who led efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, in a speech on Tuesday.
Ted Cruz was even more explicit about a supposed plot by Democrats to flood the country with illegal voters.
“Democrats have cynically decided they want votes from illegal immigrants more than they want to protect our children,” said Cruz during his own remarks on Tuesday night.
“They want illegal immigrants to vote now that they’ve opened the border,” added Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), who voted to overturn the 2020 election.
Noncitizens voting in federal elections is illegal, and it happens rarely. Earlier this year, Johnson admitted that Republicans cannot prove their voter fraud claims. Nonetheless, they continue to promote these allegations.
Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, who faced impeachment and criminal charges for attempting to steal an election, accused Democrats of attempting the same thing this time around in a recorded video message to RNC delegates.
“We must use every appropriate tool to beat the Democrats. They are destroying our country,” Trump said. “Keep your eyes open because these people want to cheat and they do cheat, and frankly it’s the only thing they do well.”
Donald Trump Jr. also told Axios on Tuesday that if his father loses in November, it will be because of “cheating.”
JD Vance, Trump’s VP pick, has expressed skepticism about certifying elections, aligning with Trump’s previous efforts to challenge the Electoral College.
“If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there,” he told ABC News in February.
In Milwaukee, Trump associates like Peter Navarro and Roger Stone, both linked to past electoral controversies, received enthusiastic receptions from convention attendees.
“They convicted me, they jailed me. But guess what ― they did not break me. … I went to prison so you won’t have to. I am your wakeup call,” Navarro proclaimed, pumping his fist into the air defiantly as the crowd roared in approval.
Meanwhile, Stone, who was convicted of crimes that included lying to Congress but whose sentence was later commuted by Trump, was greeted like a celebrity at the convention, surrounded by delegates seeking selfies and expressing admiration.
Claims about election fraud were pervasive among delegates, with many echoing fears of Democratic election theft and emphasizing the need for Republican vigilance.
Overall, despite calls for toned-down rhetoric, the GOP convention featured apocalyptic warnings and a commitment to contesting potential electoral outcomes, hinting at the possibility of another January 6th-style crisis.
