Former President Donald Trump has intensified his ongoing attack on the integrity of U.S. elections as the 2024 presidential campaign approaches its final phase. He is spreading a new wave of misinformation regarding ballots, vote-counting, and the electoral process to prepare for a potential challenge to a November defeat.
Experts in democracy are observing troubling signs reminiscent of the lead-up to the 2020 election, when Trump disseminated numerous falsehoods and conspiracy theories following his loss to Joe Biden. This campaign of misinformation ultimately led to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Lindsay Daniels, a senior director at the nonpartisan Democracy Fund, remarked, “The threats have not diminished; they have only intensified. We are already seeing indications that similar tactics may be employed again.”
In the last two months, Trump has made at least 12 distinct false claims that cast unfounded doubts on a potential victory for Vice President Kamala Harris. Polls indicate that the race remains tight, with Trump still having a viable chance to win.
Despite his insistence that he will accept the 2024 election results if they are deemed fair, many of his supporters in battleground states express low confidence in the accuracy of the upcoming vote count.
Trump has made unfounded assertions regarding the legitimacy of vote counts in key states, the reliability of mail-in ballots, and the attendance at Harris’s rallies, among other topics.