Former President Donald Trump recently falsely claimed on Monday that he has won the Iowa caucuses twice. He only won the contest once, in 2020 via Mediaite.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) won the 2016 edition, prompting Trump to claim the election was rigged against him falsely.
“Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he illegally stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong any [sic] why he got more votes than anticipated. Bad!” Trump tweeted at the time.”
It has been noted that speaking briefly to reporters at Hotel Fort Des Moines on caucus day Monday, Trump insisted he is a two-time winner. Bloomberg’s Stephanie Lai recorded Trump’s remarks and posted them on Twitter/X.
“We’re gonna have a great night and a fantastic place,” he said. “We’ve won it twice as you know, two elections and I think we’re gonna have a tremendous night. The people are fantastic and I’ve never seen spirit like they have countrywide. But in Iowa, I’ve never seen spirit like this.”
Trump infamously alleged voter fraud when he loses elections. He is currently under criminal indictment in federal court in Washington, D.C. and in state court in Georgia for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Even in victory, Trump has baselessly claimed he was the victim of voter fraud.
“In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally,” he tweeted three weeks after defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump is the clear frontrunner in Iowa according to the polls. He is also favored to be the Republican nomination for president for a third time.