Trump is using election lies to lay the groundwork for challenging 2024 results if he loses

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has spent months laying nan groundwork to situation nan results of nan 2024 predetermination if he loses — conscionable arsenic he did 4 years ago.

At rally aft rally, he urges his supporters to present a triumph “too large to rig,” telling them nan only measurement he tin suffer is if Democrats cheat. He has refused to say, repeatedly, whether he will judge nan results sloppy of nan outcome. And he’s claimed cheating is already underway, citing debunked claims aliases outrageous theories pinch nary ground successful reality.

“The only point that tin extremity america is nan cheating. It’s nan only point that tin extremity us,” he said astatine an arena successful Arizona precocious Thursday night.

In 2020, Trump prematurely declared victory from nan White House. He launched a ineligible and governmental effort to overturn his nonaccomplishment to Democrat Joe Biden that culminated successful nan storming of nan Capitol by his supporters connected Jan. 6, 2021.

Democrats fearfulness he whitethorn do nan aforesaid point this twelvemonth earlier nan title is called. He wouldn’t reply a mobility Friday successful Dearborn, Michigan, astir those Democratic concerns, alternatively pivoting to attacking Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump has made predetermination lies cardinal to his 2024 campaign, issuing fevered warnings astir fraud while promising to return retribution against group he sees arsenic opinionated successful his way.

This year, he is backed by a blase “election integrity” cognition built by his run and nan Republican National Committee that has revenge much than 130 lawsuits already and signed up much than 230,000 volunteers being trained to deploy arsenic canvass watchers and canvass workers crossed nan state connected Election Day.

Here’s a look astatine Trump’s strategy to sow uncertainty successful this year’s predetermination and nan facts down each claim.

Non-citizen voting

THE CLAIM: Trump has alleged, without evidence, that Democrats person allowed millions of migrants to participate nan state illegally truthful that they tin beryllium registered to vote. In an interview pinch Newsmax successful September, Trump alleged specified efforts were already underway.

“They are moving overtime trying to motion people, illegally, to ballot successful nan election,” he claimed. “They’re moving overtime to motion group and registry group — galore of nan aforesaid group that you conscionable spot travel crossed nan border. Which is astir apt their original thought, because why other would they want to destruct our country?”

THE FACTS: It takes years for newcomers to go citizens and only citizens tin legally formed ballots successful national elections. Isolated cases of noncitizens being caught trying to ballot — for illustration a University of Michigan student from China arrested for allegedly casting an forbidden ballot — do not bespeak a larger conspiracy.

Research has shown noncitizens illegally registering and casting ballots is highly rare and usually done by mistake.

Overseas ballots

THE CLAIM: Trump has pointed to Democratic efforts to unafraid nan votes of Americans surviving overseas arsenic different opportunity for fraud. He’s alleged that they are “getting fresh to CHEAT!” and ”want to “dilute nan TRUE ballot of our beautiful subject and their families.”

THE FACTS: The erstwhile president has himself campaigned for nan votes of Americans overseas, promising to end alleged “double taxation” for group who often salary taxes successful nan state wherever they reside arsenic good arsenic to nan U.S. government.

Ominous warnings

THE CLAIM: Trump has begun to propose that Harris mightiness person entree to immoderate benignant of concealed wrong accusation astir nan result of a title that has yet to beryllium decided.

Since nan vice president took a time disconnected from nan way to beryllium for interviews pinch Telemundo and NBC, he has many times suggested, “Maybe she knows thing we don’t know.”

In Michigan past weekend, he suggested location is nary measurement Harris would beryllium campaigning pinch Beyoncé — 1 of nan biggest stars successful nan world — if nan title were really arsenic adjacent arsenic polls suggest.

“Number one, they cheat for illustration hell. So possibly they cognize thing that we don’t, right?” he said. “They mightiness cognize thing that we don’t, I don’t know. Why nan hellhole would she beryllium celebrating erstwhile you’re down? Maybe — ne'er thought of that — possibly she knows thing we don’t. But we’re not going to fto it happen.”

THE FACTS: There is nary grounds to support a Democratic conspiracy. Indeed, Trump fanned fears of his ain wrong readying astatine a rally astatine New York’s Madison Square Garden erstwhile he looked astatine House Speaker Mike Johnson and talked astir a “little secret” they had.

Johnson, earlier becoming speaker, took nan lead successful drafting a wide panned little seeking to overturn Trump’s 2020 nonaccomplishment and echoed immoderate of nan wilder conspiracy theories to explicate distant his loss.

Asked astir Trump’s reference to a “little secret,” Johnson issued a connection that included nan following: “By definition, a concealed is not to beryllium shared — and I don’t intend to stock this one.” (He later told an assemblage that it related to “one of our strategies connected get-out-the-vote,” according to The Hill. Trump’s run issued a connection noting he had “done countless tele-rallies” to thief bolster Republican legislature candidates.)

Turning to Pennsylvania

THE CLAIM: Trump successful caller days has turned his ire connected Pennsylvania, a authorities that some campaigns position arsenic critical, and wherever he’s claimed cheating is already underway.

Earlier this week, he claimed York County, Pennsylvania, had “received THOUSANDS of perchance FRAUDULENT Voter Registration Forms and Mail-In Ballot Applications from a 3rd statement group.” He has besides pointed to Lancaster County, which he claimed had been “caught pinch 2600 Fake Ballots and Forms, each written by nan aforesaid person. Really bad ‘stuff.’”

During a run arena successful Allentown connected Tuesday, nan erstwhile president said: “They’ve already started cheating successful Lancaster. They’ve cheated. We caught ’em pinch 2,600 votes. No, we caught them cold. 2,600 votes. Think of this, deliberation of this. And each ballot was written by nan aforesaid person.”

THE FACTS: In Lancaster, County District Attorney Heather Adams, an elected Republican, has said predetermination workers raised concerns astir 2 sets of voter registration applications because of what she described arsenic galore similarities. Officials are now examining a full of astir 2,500 forms.

To beryllium clear, Lancaster is looking into elector registration applications, not “votes.” Lancaster officials said immoderate forms contained mendacious names, suspicious handwriting, questionable signatures, incorrect addresses aliases different problematic details, but did not opportunity they were each written by nan aforesaid person.

York County Chief Clerk Greg Monskie confirmed this week that his region was reviewing fishy forms. County Commissioner Julie Wheeler issued a connection saying elector registration forms and mail-in ballot applications were among a “large transportation containing thousands of election-related materials” that nan region elections agency received from a third-party organization.

Officials successful nan authorities opportunity nan find and investigation into nan applications — not votes — is grounds nan strategy is moving arsenic it should.

Threats of prosecution

THE CLAIM: Trump has threatened terrible consequences for those engaged successful what he deems “unscrupulous behavior.”

In 1 societal media station that falsely cites “the rampant Cheating and Skullduggery that has taken spot by nan Democrats successful nan 2020 Presidential Election,” he has warned that, “WHEN I WIN, those group that CHEATED will beryllium prosecuted to nan fullest grade of nan Law, which will see agelong word situation sentences.”

The posts spell connected to frighten “Those progressive successful unscrupulous behavior,” including predetermination officials, lawyers, and donors, whom he says “will beryllium sought out, caught, and prosecuted astatine levels, unfortunately, ne'er seen earlier successful our Country.”

THE FACTS: Judges, predetermination officials and moreover Trump’s ain lawyer general, William Barr, person each affirmed that location was nary wide cheating successful nan 2020 election.

If he’s elected again, Trump has vowed to spell aft rivals he has deemed “enemies from within,” including saying he would name a typical charismatic to target Biden. That’s much than a theoretical threat fixed that erstwhile he was president, Trump many times pressed for investigations into perceived governmental adversaries.

While nan Justice Department does person checks successful spot meant to ward disconnected governmental influence, Trump could name leaders who would facilitate cases being opened astatine his behest.

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Associated Press writers Christine Fernando successful Chicago, Adriana Gomez Licon successful Dearborn, Michigan, and Eric Tucker successful Washington contributed to this report.