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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on June 27, 2021 in a statement: “Facts have now come out to show conclusively” that the 2020 presidential election wasn’t legitimate. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"pants- fire\\"](\\" * Georgia * National * Elections * Wisconsin * Arizona * Donald Trump ![\\"In](\\" In this July 15, 2020, file photo Attorney General William Barr, left, speaks with President Donald Trump during a a law enforcement briefing on the MS-13 gang in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP) ![\\"Amy](\\" By Amy Sherman June 29, 2021 # In attack on Bill Barr, Trump repeats falsehood about 2020 election #### If Your Time is short * Trump’s claim that the election was not legitimate is contradicted by mounting evidence from election experts. No evidence has emerged to reverse the election results in any state. * A June report by a Republican-led state Senate committee in Michigan found no evidence of widespread or systemic fraud. * Trump’s claims are based on distortions and mischaracterizations. See the sources for this fact-check In an excerpt for his upcoming book, ABC reporter Jonathan Karl recounts interviewing Bill Barr, the U.S. attorney general who fell out of favor with former President Donald Trump. Before the election, Barr echoed Trump’s falsehood that voting by mail was associated with \"substantial fraud.\" After the election, however, Barr told the Associated Press he had not seen fraud on a scale that would invalidate Joe Biden’s victory. Barr’s \"conclusion sent a definitive message that the effort to overturn the election was without merit,\" Karl wrote in an excerpt published in The Atlantic June 27. That same day, Trump issued a statement claiming that Barr \"failed to investigate election fraud, and really let down the American people.\" Barr and other Republicans \"are being used in order to try to convince people that the election was legitimate when so many incredible facts have now come out to show conclusively that it wasn’t,\" said a Trump statement issued by his Save America political action committee. A Facebook post sharing Trump’s statement was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) Trump pushed a false argument of a stolen election even before Election Day in November. Trump is still wrong in claiming that \"facts have now come out to show conclusively\" that the 2020 election was illegitimate. No evidence has emerged to reverse the election results in any state. \"Any such evidence would be earth-shattering,\" said Matthew Weil, an election expert at the Bipartisan Policy Center. \"And the fact it hasn’t materialized more than six months after the voting stopped indicates that the election was legitimate and secure.\" Trump cites debunked claims about swing states Trump’s PAC did not respond to a request for comment, but his statement included as evidence allegations about fraud in swing states. Here’s a sampling of those allegations, along with the facts and context: * \"101,789 ‘obsolete’ voters on the rolls in Georgia, including 18,486 dead people.\" Trump is distorting Georgia’s plan for routine cleanup of voter rolls. Under federal law, states need to update their voter rolls, and they often do so in odd-numbered years. Most of the people flagged for removal in Georgia have moved, and some have died. The state’s top election official said \"there was no record\" that any of the dead individuals cast a ballot in the 2020 or January runoff elections. * \"Nearly 200,000 illegal ‘indefinitely confined’ votes in Wisconsin’ violated Voter ID law.\" This is a misrepresentation of the facts. A Wisconsin law allows voters to declare themselves as \"indefinitely confined\" and then cast an absentee ballot without providing a photo ID. * \"‘Massive’ chain of custody problems with drop boxes in Georgia, missing hundreds of thousands of records for months after the election.\" This debunked claim stems from a report by Georgia Star News, a pro-Trump publication, that requested chain of custody forms that show the movement of ballots in the state. Fulton County didn’t provide all the forms to Georgia Star News, but later provided almost all the forms to Georgia Public Broadcasting, an NPR affiliate. Federal and state election officials have said the election was legitimate The most recent evidence affirming that the 2020 election was legitimate came from Republicans in Michigan, a state that Trump won in 2016 and lost in 2020. \"The committee found no evidence of widespread or systemic fraud in Michigan\'s prosecution of the 2020 election,\" said a June report by the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee, chaired by a Republican. \"Citizens should be confident the results represent the true results of the ballots cast by the people of Michigan.\" #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on August 18, 2024 in X post Photo shows “pallets or containers of bricks have been found near locations designated for protests related to the Democratic National Convention” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • August 20, 2024 The 55-page report debunks multiple claims of election fraud or irregularities pushed by Trump. State and local government officials elsewhere also have defended the integrity of the election in their states. Nationwide, election officials, including some in Trump’s administration, affirmed that the 2020 election was \"the most secure in American history.\" Results affirmed by courts, audits done by election officials Nationwide, about 90 judges ruled against Trump or his allies in election cases, including 38 judges appointed by Republican presidents, according to a Washington Post analysis. \"Not one court found any fraud that could come close to altering the outcome in any state,\" David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, told PolitiFact. There were more audits of paper ballots after the 2020 election than after any other election, Becker said. Georgia, for example, counted its ballots three times, three different ways, with observers from both parties, and all audits confirmed that Biden won, Becker said. In Arizona, state Senate Republicans organized a review of 2.1 million ballots in Maricopa County. Those findings are expected this summer. But election experts have criticized the review as partisan and amateurish. The Maricopa County review \"does not meet the standards of a proper election recount or audit,\" said an evaluation of the ballot review by Trey Grayson, former Republican Kentucky secretary of state, and Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist. They concluded that \"because it lacks the essential elements of a bona fide post-election analysis, the review currently underway in Maricopa County will not produce findings that should be trusted.\" The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors — four of whose five members are Republicans — called the review a \"circus.\" They said the county’s election was \"free and fair and conducted by the elections department with integrity and honor.\" Our ruling Trump said, \"facts have now come out to show conclusively\" that the 2020 presidential election wasn’t legitimate. No such facts have emerged. Trump’s claims are based on distortions and mischaracterizations. His claims of a rigged election started even before the results were known. The election was legitimate, as affirmed by experts on elections, including Republicans, and officials who served in Trump’s administration, as well as local and state bodies that certified the results. Multiple audits and court cases also have reached the same conclusion. We rate Trump’s statement Pants on Fire! _RELATED:_ Trump’s Pants on Fire distortion about Georgia’s voter rolls **RELATED:** Michigan Republican-led investigation rejects Trump\'s claim that Nov. 3 election was stolen **RELATED:** Trump falsely implies Arizona audit has exposed fraud **RELATED:** Trump lost. Yet the 2020 election falsehoods live on in Arizona **RELATED:** Here’s why Georgia’s Republican officials are confident in their presidential election results #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Save America PAC, Statement, June 27, 2021 The Atlantic, Inside William Barr’s Breakup With Trump, June 27, 2021 Washington Post, Bill Barr wants his legacy to be his mumbled opposition to Trump on fraud, not his shouted agreement, June 28, 2021 Washington Post, From a presidential commission to Trump-nominated judges, here’s who has rebuked Trump’s voter fraud claims, Jan. 3, 2021 Washington Post, Here’s the full transcript and audio of the call between Trump and Raffensperger, Jan. 5, 2021 Associated Press, Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud, Dec. 1, 2021 Associated Press, AP FACT CHECK: Barr raises voter fraud specter, China threat, Sept. 1, 2020 CNN, Fact-checking William Barr: Is your vote no longer secret with mail-in ballots? Sept. 12, 2020 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, Statement about election, Nov. 12, 2021 States United Democracy Center, Report on the Cyber Ninjas Review of the 2020 Presidential and U.S. Senatorial Elections in Maricopa County, Arizona, June 22, 2021 Washington Post The Fact Checker, Trump’s baseless claim about ballot drop boxes in Fulton County, Ga. June 22, 2021 New York Times, The Times Called Officials in Every State: No Evidence of Voter Fraud, Nov. 19, 2020 PolitiFact, Donald Trump says Joe Biden can only win by a \'rigged election.\' That\'s wrong in several ways, Aug. 24, 2020 PolitiFact, No, court did not rule 200,000 Wisconsin ballots were illegitimate, Jan. 6, 2021 Email interview, Matthew Weil, director of Bipartisan Policy Center’s Elections Project, June 28, 2021 Email interview, David Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, June 28, 2021 Email interview, Trey Grayson, former Kentucky’s Secretary of State and member, Frost Brown Todd LLC and managing director, CivicPoint, June 28, 2021 Email interview, Lorraine Minnite, Rutgers University associate professor of public policy, June 28, 2021 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Amy Sherman ![](\\" ![](\\" JD Vance stated on August 25, 2024 in an interview on NBC\'s \"Meet the Press\": A zero-tolerance policy during the Trump administration \"led to less family separation than under Kamala Harris\' border policies.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • September 4, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 26, 2024 in an interview with a podcaster: Vice President Kamala Harris “is a communist. … She is really a Marxist.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • September 4, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Rick Scott stated on August 28, 2024 in a post on X: “This month alone, more than 16,000 non-citizens have been removed from the voter rolls in 3 states.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • August 29, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 23, 2024 in a speech in Las Vegas: “Kamala cast the tiebreaking vote to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to go after your tip income.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • August 28, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on August 14, 2024 in a speech in California: Former President Donald Trump “cut overtime benefits for millions of workers.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • August 20, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Pete Buttigieg stated on August 11, 2024 in an interview on CNN State of the Union: Gov. Tim Walz delivered paid family leave in Minnesota but “Republicans are blocking” a Biden-Harris proposal. ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • August 16, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 8, 2024 in a press conference: Says his Jan. 6, 2021, speech on the White House Ellipse drew the “same number of people,” as the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 2, 2024 in a video: In Pompano Beach, Florida, Somali immigrants illegally in the U.S. were in line to get driver’s licenses and “all you need to vote is a driver\'s license.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 27, 2024 in a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota: During the 2020 Minnesota riots after George Floyd’s murder, Gov. Tim Walz didn’t call in the National Guard, “so, I sent in the National Guard to save Minneapolis.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 3, 2024 in a rally in Atlanta: Kamala Harris “supports mandatory gun confiscation.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 24, 2024 in a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina: Kamala Harris “wants to defund the police.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • July 30, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 24, 2024 in a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina: Kamala Harris “supported abolishing ICE.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • July 29, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 22, 2024 in an Instagram post: There are nine states “where Biden’s name can’t be removed and no one can be added. That’s over 130 electoral votes in the toilet.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ranjan Jindal • July 23, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on July 17, 2024 in a campaign video: \"Unlike Mike Pence, (JD) Vance said he would have carried out Trump\'s plan to overturn the 2020 election.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • July 18, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on July 16, 2024 in in a speech at RNC in Milwaukee: “Just last week, Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • July 17, 2024 ### In attack on Bill Barr, Trump repeats falsehood about 2020 election * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 13, 2024 in a post on Threads: “ABC lost $27M in ad revenue after advertisers pulled ads from the network after the way they hosted the debate\" on Sept. 10. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • September 15, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 8, 2024 in a social media post: Photos that show lists of school names are “school shooting lists.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Andy Nguyen • September 15, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: A video shows a body that Israel embedded with a bomb exploding during a Palestinian funeral procession. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 11, 2024 in a post: “ESPN has fired Shannon Sharpe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Gideon Hess • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 12, 2024 in a post on Threads: An image shows Travis Kelce responding to Elon Musk X post that followed Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Madison Czopek • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: Former President Donald Trump admitted during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he “blew up the Nord Stream pipeline.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 10, 2024 in a Facebook post: Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila recalled because they contained fecal matter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Elissa Slotkin stated on September 11, 2024 in a TV ad: Mike Rogers supported “laws that could eliminate IVF and birth control.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 11, 2024 in an Instagram post: \"Debate moderators made the false claim to Donald Trump that there is nowhere in the United States where abortion is legal up until birth.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 12, 2024 in a Facebook post: ABC News fired presidential debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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Facts have now come out to show conclusively that the 2020 presidential election wasn’t legitimate