Currently a significant percent of Republicans, including elected officials, party workers and voters, are acting as if they believe former President Donald Trump’s story that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by fraud.
Numerous recounts, audits and investigations all have shown that ballots were counted accurately.
There was no fraud.
Note that in the months preceding the 2020 election Trump made statements to the effect that the election would be rigged against him.
It is important to remember that 2020 was not the first time we heard this story from Trump.
I remember listening to the third Trump/Clinton presidential debate on October 19, 2016 and being shocked to hear Trump talk about how he wouldn’t commit to accepting the result of the 2016 presidential election.
To view that section of the debate, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdvHQl6ZVhc.
For the past seven years, Trump has been telling Americans how a presidential election should work:
If Trump wins, the election is fine.
If Trump loses, the election is fraudulent.
The claim that the election is fraudulent is a longstanding Trump tactic.
The effect is to create distrust in elections.
It is a tactic that is profoundly anti-democracy.
And it is a tactic that turns Americans against each other.
Who benefits?
Karen Hart
Port Angeles