Trump claims without proof Democrats are ‘trying to steal’ California primaries | Donald Trump
Donald Trump claimed, without any evidence, that Democrats had rigged the California primary and claimed that the US attorney’s office in Los Angeles was investigating in a late-night social media post.
As counting continues in the most populous US state, the president’s false statements are expected to further alarm election observers, who warn of the risk of misinformation rising if there is no final result.
Trump has a history of undermining election results that don’t go in his favor. He has repeatedly claimed that Democrats lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, although he has privately acknowledged his defeat, according to aides.
Trump at 12.48pm on Thursday sent: “The Dumocrats are at it again! THEY ARE TRYING TO STEAL THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR PRIORITY AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES FROM TWO MAJOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES. Here we go, with very late and massive MAIL VOTES.”
“BIG fraud is being done by Dumocrats in California” in question 17 minutes later in another post on the Truth Social platform. “The votes are all tied. They may not arrive for weeks. Under investigation by the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Why was the vote count DELAYED??? Chairman DJT”.
The U.S. attorney’s office said it had no comment on Trump’s claim that allegations of fraud were “under investigation” by U.S. attorneys. The Justice Department in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president has not provided a substantive basis for questioning the legitimacy of the election.
Mail-in ballots are heavily influential in political races in California (typically about 80% of votes cast), and these ballots can be counted up to a week after election day as long as they are postmarked before election day.
California uses a “jungle” primary process in which the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of their political party, advance to a runoff unless a candidate wins an outright majority. A huge group of 61 candidates split the vote in the governor’s race, but Republicans rallied around Steve Hilton. The three, along with Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, are in such a close race that it can’t be determined as votes are counted.
Mail-in ballots tend to favor Democrats, hinting at the possibility that Trump-backed Hilton could fall into third place when all the votes are counted.
The last Republican to win the California governor’s race was Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Republicans received just under 40% of the vote in each of the last four contests.
Last month, Gavin Newsom sent a letter to election officials thanking them for their work, warning that a lengthy process invites disingenuous accusations of abuse.
“We must recognize that the longer the vote count takes, the more false and inaccurate information spreads.” wrote Governor of California. “This means we must do everything we can to tally votes quickly and accurately. Time is of the essence to prevent election lies from taking root.”
Election observers also voiced these concerns on Wednesday evening. “Conducting elections with integrity and ensuring every eligible vote is counted is essential to maintaining public confidence in our democracy,” said Mike DuHaime of the Democracy Defense Project, a bipartisan effort to combat election misinformation.
“At the same time, extended delays in ballot preparation, such as those increasingly common in California, can undermine public confidence and create unnecessary uncertainty about election results,” DuHaime added. “The longer election results remain unresolved, the greater the chance that misinformation and speculation will spread online, eroding trust in our election process. Accuracy must always remain a top priority, but accuracy and timeliness are not mutually exclusive.”
