Trump’s Rigged Election Claims: Lawsuits, RICO Charges, and Orders

Donald Trump’s rigged election claims form a decade-long pattern of alleging fraud without evidence, beginning in the 2016 Republican primaries, escalating into the central grievance of his post-2020 political life, and now serving as the stated reason for a second-term agenda of executive orders, voting restrictions, and federal investigations. Courts, Trump’s own appointees, Republican state officials, independent researchers, and bipartisan audits have all rejected the specific allegations. More than 60 lawsuits failed. Two criminal cases followed. Most of the executive orders built on the claims have been blocked by federal judges. The claims themselves have not stopped.

What Trump Has Claimed

The pattern predates any general-election loss. During the 2016 primaries, Trump called the Iowa and Colorado caucuses “rigged” and asserted fraud in Iowa without evidence.¹ After winning the Electoral College but losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by roughly 2.87 million votes, he tweeted that he had “won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”² In May 2017 he created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach as vice chair. Trump dissolved it by executive order on January 3, 2018, before any final report. The Brennan Center said commissioners had cited “misleading or patently untrue evidence” and that studies consistently showed voter fraud to be “vanishingly rare.”³

Trump began laying the groundwork for 2020 fraud claims months before voting. In August 2020 he said that “the only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged.” After losing to Joe Biden, he called the results “a fraud on the American public,” insisted “we did win this election,” and tweeted on November 7 as outlets projected Biden’s victory, “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!”¹

The claims continued through his second term. In a June 2026 Meet the Press interview in Wisconsin, Trump described California’s recent primaries as “rigged” and “dirty,” pointing to the length of the state’s ballot count. Asked for evidence by moderator Kristen Welker, he said, “All I have to do is look. And I listen. I listen to people.”⁴⁵⁶ NBC’s fact-check found no evidence of fraud in California and explained the slow count reflects state rules permitting mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive up to a week later, with more than 80% of California votes cast by mail. On the Los Angeles mayoral race, where Trump said it was “not possible” for one candidate to have lost, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed each candidate had received votes in every update.

A Reuters review published in May 2026 found Trump had repeated the “rigged” or “stolen” claim about 2020 at least 107 times in the preceding six months, sometimes posting such allegations seven times in a single day on Truth Social.⁷

How the Specific 2020 Claims Were Debunked

The 2020 fraud allegations clustered around three themes. All have been investigated and rejected.

Mail-In Ballots

Trump alleged “massive voter fraud” through mail-in voting and said the United States was “the only country in the world” that uses it. More than 30 countries permit postal voting, including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and South Korea.⁸ A 2025 Brookings Institution analysis found fraud accounted for only four out of every 10 million mailed ballots, and a 2020 American Statistical Association report found “no evidence that voting by mail increases the risk of voter fraud overall.” The Heritage Foundation’s database logged 289 cases of fraudulent absentee ballot use between 1982 and 2025, out of hundreds of millions of mail ballots cast.⁹

Dominion Voting Machines

Trump and his allies alleged Dominion Voting Systems machines switched votes from Trump to Biden. Former Attorney General William Barr said he saw “absolutely zero basis” for the Dominion claims, calling them “idiotic.”⁸ The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency concluded the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history” and found “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”¹⁰ A peer-reviewed study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that once confounding factors were accounted for, the effect of Dominion machines on Biden’s vote share was statistically insignificant.¹¹

Statistical and Turnout Claims

Other allegations involved supposedly anomalous turnout in swing states, the failure of “bellwether” counties to predict the winner, and claims that Biden’s vote totals were statistically near-impossible. PNAS researchers showed the turnout claims relied on flawed cross-state comparisons and disappeared once state-level differences were accounted for; that bellwether counties have no special predictive value; and that the “one-in-a-quadrillion” probability figure rested on a “deeply misguided” misapplication of statistical testing.¹¹

Officials Who Rejected the Claims

The rejections came from inside Trump’s own administration and from Republican officials who oversaw the counts. Attorney General William Barr stated on December 1, 2020, that the Justice Department had “not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome.” Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen told Trump directly the DOJ could not “snap its fingers and change the outcome of the election.” Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue told him, “Much of the info you’re getting is false.”¹² Chris Krebs, the Trump-appointed CISA director, warned the public not to “retweet wild and baseless claims about voting machines.” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said shifting vote counts in the days after an election are “not a sign that something nefarious is happening.”¹⁰ The National Association of Secretaries of State said it was “not aware of any evidence that supports the voter fraud claims.”¹³

More Than 60 Lawsuits, All Unsuccessful

Trump and his allies filed more than 60 lawsuits challenging the 2020 results, by a count cited by then-Representative Liz Cheney.¹⁴ None overturned any state’s result. Many were withdrawn before rulings or dismissed on procedural grounds. Where courts reached the merits, they found the fraud claims speculative or unsubstantiated.¹⁵

In Georgia, a judge denied immediate relief when Trump sought to decertify the state’s results. In Michigan, the court denied relief in King v. Whitmer and later sanctioned the plaintiffs’ attorneys for filing a suit “without a legal or factual foundation.” In Pennsylvania, Trump’s suit to block certification was dismissed and the court of appeals affirmed.¹⁶ The Wisconsin Supreme Court called a challenge there “meritless on its face.”¹⁵ On August 25, 2021, a federal judge sanctioned Sidney Powell and eight other pro-Trump lawyers, recommending their state bars investigate them for possible suspension or disbarment.¹⁴

January 6 and Impeachment

On January 6, 2021, as Congress met to certify Biden’s Electoral College victory, Trump delivered a 70-minute speech at the Ellipse repeating that he had won “by a landslide” and telling the crowd, “if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.” He urged supporters to march to the Capitol.¹⁷ The mob breached the building and halted the electoral count, which did not resume and conclude until roughly 3:40 a.m. on January 7.¹⁸

Five days later, the House voted 232–197 to impeach Trump for “inciting violence against the Government of the United States,” with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats. The impeachment resolution charged him with “repeatedly issuing false statements asserting that the Presidential election results were the product of widespread fraud.”¹⁸ The Senate acquitted him on February 13, 2021.¹⁷

Criminal Cases That Followed

The Federal Case

On August 1, 2023, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Trump on four felony charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment alleged Trump organized fraudulent slates of presidential electors in seven states, pressured state officials to disregard legitimate counts, tried to exploit the vice president’s ceremonial certification role, and directed supporters to the Capitol on January 6.¹⁹

The case never reached trial. After the Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that sitting presidents enjoy immunity for certain official acts, a superseding indictment narrowed the charges. Following Trump’s November 2024 election victory, Smith filed a motion on November 25, 2024, to dismiss, citing the longstanding DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president. In his final report, released January 13, 2025, Smith wrote that the evidence “would have led to his conviction at trial — if not for his election victory.” Smith resigned from the Justice Department on January 10, 2025.²⁰

The Georgia RICO Case

In August 2023, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants on racketeering and conspiracy charges related to efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 result. Trump and the others pleaded not guilty, and four co-defendants have since pleaded guilty in exchange for cooperation.²¹ District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified over a relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The Georgia Court of Appeals upheld the disqualification in December 2024, and on September 16, 2025, the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal in a 4-3 decision.²² The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia is searching for a replacement. A Georgia appeals court also upheld the dismissal of six counts from the original indictment, leaving Trump facing 10 of his original 13 charges. Legal experts have doubted a trial can proceed against Trump while he is in office, though the case may move forward against other defendants.

Fake Elector Prosecutions

State prosecutors have pursued criminal charges against individuals who submitted fraudulent electoral certificates in 2020. In Wisconsin, three former Trump associates — attorney Jim Troupis, campaign operative Mike Roman, and legal advisor Ken Chesebro — each face 11 felony forgery counts; all three pleaded not guilty in June 2026 and are arguing that presidential pardons Trump issued should void some charges.²³ In Michigan, preliminary hearings for 16 defendants concluded in October 2024, with a ruling on whether to proceed to trial pending. Arizona prosecutors dismissed their initial indictment in June 2026 but said they would seek a new one. The Nevada case was dismissed on venue grounds in 2024 and is on appeal.²⁴

Executive Orders and Voting Restrictions in the Second Term

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has cited the rigged-election narrative as the justification for executive actions reshaping how elections are administered. Federal courts have blocked major provisions.

Executive Order 14248, issued March 25, 2025, directed the Election Assistance Commission to require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, ordered the attorney general to act against states that count mail ballots received after Election Day, and threatened to withhold federal funding from states that did not comply.²⁵ A preliminary injunction in April 2025 halted the citizenship documentation mandate; the same court permanently enjoined that provision in October 2025. In January 2026, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly permanently blocked two more sections — one requiring citizenship assessments in public assistance agencies and another imposing documentation requirements on military and overseas voters — ruling them “inconsistent with the constitutional separation of powers.”²⁶

A second order in March 2026 directed the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to create a centralized nationwide list of verified citizens and ordered the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots only to voters appearing on federal lists, threatening criminal prosecution and loss of federal funding for state officials who did not comply.²⁷ On June 25, 2026, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani declared the central provisions unconstitutional, ruling that “no law enacted by Congress delegates authority to control mail-in voting to USPS.” The injunction covers 23 states and the District of Columbia.²⁸

In Congress, Trump has pushed Republicans to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, mandate strict photo identification for federal elections, and direct states to use a federal database to identify potential non-citizens on voter rolls. The House passed it on February 11, 2026, and the Senate began debate on an amended version in March 2026. The bill authorizes no federal funding for state implementation and would take effect immediately upon passage.²⁹

Federal Investigations Into the 2020 Election

The Trump administration has deployed the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to reinvestigate the 2020 election. In January 2026 the FBI seized more than 600 boxes of 2020 ballots from a Fulton County, Georgia, election facility. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present and arranged for Trump to speak with agents on-site by phone.³⁰ The warrant was supported by an affidavit citing “irregularities” such as missing ballot images and duplicate ballots. When Fulton County sued to recover the records, an elections expert testified that the cited irregularities did not constitute a crime. A federal judge denied the county’s request but called the warrant “defective,” “problematic,” and “troubling.”³¹ As of June 2026, the investigation has “produced no public evidence of wrongdoing” and no arrests have been made.³²

In Wisconsin, FBI agents have interviewed former poll workers about claims previously rejected by courts and audits. In Arizona, federal officials subpoenaed records from a partisan review of Maricopa County’s 2020 election. In Michigan, the DOJ demanded 2024 ballots from Wayne County in April 2026, though the county no longer had the records.³⁰ Separately, the DOJ has filed roughly 30 active lawsuits against states and Washington, D.C., seeking access to sensitive voter registration data, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license information. All eight courts that had ruled on these suits as of June 2026 decided against the DOJ.³³

FBI Director Kash Patel said on April 19, 2026, that arrests were imminent: “We’ve got all the information we need … and we are going to be making arrests, and it’s coming, and I promise you, it’s coming soon.”³⁴ As of late June 2026, no arrests or indictments had materialized, and most potential charges for 2020-era conduct have passed the five-year statute of limitations.³⁰

In June 2026 Trump named Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency with no intelligence background, as acting director of national intelligence, replacing Gabbard. Trump said he wanted Pulte to “find out some things about the rigged elections.” Senate Republican leader John Thune said, “We don’t need a weaponized” intelligence director and stressed, “We need professionals here.” Senator Mitch McConnell said the role requires “extensive national security experience required by statute.”³⁵ Senator Elizabeth Warren called on Trump to rescind the appointment, alleging Pulte had used his FHFA position to “target, harass, and criticize” perceived political enemies.³⁶

What the Repetition Has Done to Public Opinion

According to White House officials cited in the Reuters analysis, the repetition is a deliberate strategy to justify new voting restrictions, reinforce party loyalty, and energize supporters ahead of the 2026 midterms.⁷

Public opinion among Republicans has moved with the claims. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 15–20, 2026, with 4,557 adults, found 63% of Republican voters believe the 2020 election was stolen, and 82% agreed that large numbers of fraudulent ballots are cast by non-citizens. Among the full population, 31% agreed the election was stolen and 46% agreed that large-scale non-citizen voting occurs.³⁷ Broader confidence in elections has also fallen: a 2022 CNN poll found 56% of respondents had “little or no confidence” that elections reflect the will of the people, and an ABC News/Washington Post survey found only 20% felt “very confident” in the election system’s integrity.³⁸

1
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