According to Mediaite, former President Donald Trump, in a rally held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as part of his 2024 campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination, made bold claims that he would win states like California, New York, Illinois, and others if elections were not, in his words, “rigged.” Trump reiterated his belief that the 2020 election was rigged, suggesting that he would have won in traditionally Democratic strongholds if the elections were conducted fairly.
Trump specifically mentioned California, asserting that the state’s elections were marred by issues such as the distribution of millions of ballots with questionable handling. He contended that without these alleged irregularities, he would emerge victorious even in states that historically leaned Democratic. In a dramatic statement, Trump stated that if there were a genuine election with divine oversight – “if Jesus came down and God came down and said, I’m going to be the scorekeeper here” – he would win in California.
The former president went on to express confidence that other traditionally Democratic states like New York, Illinois, and New Jersey could be won by Republicans. He cited issues like immigration as reasons why Democrats in New York might turn against President Joe Biden, emphasizing his belief that these states could be receptive to Republican campaigns.
Trump paused for applause from his audience before continuing to assert that Republicans could have won in these states in the past, suggesting that, in his view, elections were systematically rigged against them. He expressed the need to address what he referred to as rigged elections and claimed that the “radical left Democrats” had rigged the 2020 presidential election.
“I ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE RIGGED ELECTIONS OUT THERE, IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE ALL THE PAPER BAL– YOU KNOW, THEY SEND OUT LIKE 36 MILLION BALLOTS AND NOBODY KNOWS WHERE THE HELL THEY’RE GOING TO OR COMING FROM. I THINK A FEW PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEY’RE GOING TO AND A FEW PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEY’RE COMING FROM,” SAID TRUMP ABOUT CALIFORNIA
BUT I THINK IF YOU HAD A REAL ELECTION AND JESUS CAME DOWN AND GOD CAME DOWN AND SAID, I’M GOING TO BE THE SCOREKEEPER HERE, I THINK WE WOULD WIN THERE,” SAID TRUMP. “I THINK WOULD WIN IN ILLINOIS, AND I THINK IT WOULD WIN IN NEW YORK, WHICH IS ALL PLACES THAT, IN THEORY –
I THINK FOR YEARS WE COULD HAVE WON THEM. THESE ELECTIONS ARE RIGGED. OUR ELECTIONS ARE TOTALLY RIGGED AND WE GOT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT,” SAID TRUMP, WHO IS RUNNING AGAINST FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE. “THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS RIGGED THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2020, AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO RIG THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024 AND DESTROY OUR COUNTRY TOTALLY.”
The rally speech showcased Trump’s continued focus on contesting the legitimacy of the 2020 election results and his ambitions for the 2024 election. The former president’s statements reflect a persistent narrative within certain political circles that questions the fairness and integrity of the U.S. electoral system. It’s important to note that these claims have been widely debunked, with no evidence of widespread voter fraud altering the outcome of the 2020 election.
