In the aftermath of the 2020 election, then-President Donald Trump and his allies falsely peddled the delusion that Democrats facilitating widespread election fraud "stole" the victory from Trump.
Dozens of failed lawsuits, bumbling press conferences, and sham hearings only further vindicated the legitimacy of the election and even Trump's own Justice Department said there was no fraud substantial enough to sway the results.
Nevertheless, Trump kept pushing his election fantasies and calling on his supporters to "fight" for him—and fight they did.
On January 6, Trump held a "Save America" rally outside the White House before encouraging his followers to march to the Capitol and make their voices heard as Congress held a joint session to nationally acknowledge Joe Biden's victory.
In the hours after, Trump supporters infiltrated the Capitol, shattering windows, ransacking offices, beating police officers, and calling for the executions of any elected official they saw as disloyal to Trump. The violent attempted takeover mounted with the hopes of preventing the peaceful transfer of power was, by definition, an insurrection.
Even after that catastrophic day, Trump still falsely insists the election was stolen and that Biden is an illegitimate President.
He most recently made the claim in an interview with far-right podcast host John Solomon.
Listen below.
Today, Donald Trump claimed, "the real insurrection...took place on November 3rd, not on January 6th."pic.twitter.com/A9QDnE9GSs— The Republican Accountability Project (@The Republican Accountability Project) 1633471726
Trump said:
"The insurrection took place on November 3rd. That was the insurrection, when they rigged the election. The big insurrection, the real insurrection, really the crime of the century, that took place on November 3rd, not on January 6th."
The delusional comments were met with immediate backlash.
Of course. Surprised it took this long for this ret-con.https://twitter.com/accountablegop/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Charlie Sykes (@Charlie Sykes) 1633475621
Former president doesn\u2019t know his elections from his insurrections.https://twitter.com/accountablegop/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Sarah Longwell (@Sarah Longwell) 1633471820
Anyone who doesn\u2019t condemn this man and his cult fully is condoning and normalizing this behavior.https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Joe (@Joe) 1633529011
He needs to be held accountable instead of allowed to keep spreading lies, election was the most invested ever and Donnie lost ! Period. Justice for the traitor nowhttps://twitter.com/accountablegop/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Gustoe (@Gustoe) 1633490119
If you begin with the assumption that you are entitled to rule, then a popular vote against you amounts to an "insurrection." IIRC, though, we had an insurrection against this very idea in the late 18th centuryhttps://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— David A. Graham (@David A. Graham) 1633532040
Tell me more about how we're being alarmists.https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Patrick De Klotz (@Patrick De Klotz) 1633473721
People emphasized the threat posed by the GOP's continued embrace of Trump as the party's figurehead.
The real insurrection is ongoing, it has been outsourced to Republican state legislatures and it is the greatest threat to our Constitutional form of government since the Civil War. \n\nIf we don't act, we will wake up in Jan 2025 inside a dictatorship we don't recognize.https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Nunca Trumpismo (@Nunca Trumpismo) 1633523184
He is a dangerously deranged delusional lunatic and the @GOP keeps blindly praising the Orange Emperor\u2019s New Clothes.https://twitter.com/accountablegop/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost (@Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost) 1633476272
This is what @NikkiHaley and her ilk like to pretend isn\u2019t happening. He\u2019s trying to justify his attempted insurrection with lies. \n\nAnd if he runs again in 2024, they\u2019ll all line up to kiss his ring and pledge fealty to him once again.https://twitter.com/accountablegop/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Bradley P. Moss (@Bradley P. Moss) 1633476045
Above all, let\u2019s take this in stride. Let\u2019s not overreact. Sure, he\u2019s our most recent president and leader of a party which is propagating the lie, purging officials who don\u2019t go along, and toying with violence. But the cool conservatives sit aside history cooing, \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u201dhttps://twitter.com/accountablegop/status/1445511305427755009\u00a0\u2026— Bill Kristol (@Bill Kristol) 1633474173
Trump has not yet announced whether he plans to run again in 2024.
