Trump’s Evolving Claims on U.S. Elections (2016-2026)

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Introduction

This archive reviews Donald Trump’s statements by President from 2016 to 2026 about U.S. elections, marking the start of his claims that electoral legitimacy is in question. Initially voicing concerns about illegal voters and evolving to asserting that mail ballots facilitate fraud, Trump proposes various remedies, including federal investigations, voter ID laws, and significant voting system reforms. The detailed tables outline the progression of his ideas, demonstrating a shift from merely identifying alleged fraud to advocating for federal control over election processes, reflecting a broader challenge to electoral integrity.

The historical question therefore becomes not simply whether Trump’s fraud allegations changed over time, but whether the remedy changed from detecting unlawful votes to acquiring governmental authority over the systems through which lawful votes are cast.

This post has three tables. They are as follows:

• Table 1. The Progression of Trump’s Ideas Over Time
• Table 2. The Central Shift in Trump’s Accusations
• Table 3. Detailed History of Trump’s Election Comments, 2016-2026. Note: This table is very long by design so I could provide a complete record of Trump’s election comments.

Three Tables of Trump’s Statements About the U.S. Elections, 2016 – 2026

Table 1. The Progression of Trump’s Election Statements Table 2. The Central Shift of Trump’s Ideas

Table 3. History of Trump’s Election Comments, 2016 – 2026

Date	Verbatim excerpt	Empirical claim	Partisan claim	Proposed remedy
Aug. 1, 2016	“I’m afraid the election is going to be rigged.”	Election administration may be susceptible to manipulation.	Suspicion focused particularly on heavily Democratic urban areas.	Greater scrutiny of election administration.
Oct. 15 & 17, 2016	“Make sure to get your absentee ballots.” / “Make sure to send in your absentee ballots.”	None; absentee voting treated as legitimate.	Republican voters should use absentee voting to help elect Trump.	Use the existing absentee system.
Nov. 27, 2016	“I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”	Millions of unlawful votes were cast in 2016.	Allegedly illegal votes explain Clinton’s popular-vote advantage.	Investigate illegal voting; tighten election rules.
Jan. 23, 2017	Roughly “3 million to 5 million” illegal votes.	Millions voted unlawfully in 2016.	Alleged illegal votes explain Clinton’s popular-vote victory.	Federal investigation.
Jan. 25, 2017	“I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD.”	Double registration, deceased registrants and noncitizen voting constitute significant fraud problems.	Mostly implicit.	Major federal investigation; strengthen voting procedures.
Jan. 27, 2017	“Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3000000 votes were illegal.”	At least three million illegal votes were cast.	Reinforces explanation for Trump’s popular-vote loss.	Investigate and strengthen election controls.
July 19, 2017	“Every time voter fraud occurs, it cancels out the vote of a lawful citizen.”	Fraud and improper registration are sufficiently serious to require federal investigation.	Trump questions why some states resist sharing voter data.	Presidential Advisory Commission; collect and analyze voter information.
Jan. 4, 2018	“many people are voting illegally.”	State voter systems permit significant illegal voting.	Trump specifically points to “mostly Democrat States.”	“Push hard for Voter Identification!”
Oct. 22, 2018	“Voter ID, folks. Voter ID. Voter ID.”	Noncitizens are voting and insufficient identification facilitates it.	Connects illegal immigration and voting to Democrats.	Mandatory voter ID.
June 23, 2019	“There were a lot of votes cast that I don’t believe” were legal.	Large numbers of California votes were unlawful.	Implicated in explanation for Trump’s 2016 popular-vote deficit.	Tighter registration and voting safeguards.
Apr. 7, 2020	“Mail ballots — they cheat.”	Mail voting facilitates fraud, forgery and improper ballot collection.	Increasingly associated with Democratic efforts to expand mail voting.	Resist broad mail-vote expansion.
Apr. 12, 2020	“Mail in ballots substantially increases the risk of crime and VOTER FRAUD!”	Mail voting substantially increases fraud risk.	Not explicit in excerpt.	Limit expansion of mail voting.
May 9, 2020	“They are trying to steal another election.”	Election procedures are being intentionally manipulated.	Democrats are attempting to steal an election.	Prevent allegedly improper votes from counting.
May 24, 2020	“It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history.”	Broad mail-ballot distribution will produce stolen, forged or coerced ballots.	Pandemic mail-vote expansion associated with Democrats.	Allow limited absentee voting but reject mass mailing of ballots.
May 26, 2020	“There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent.”	Mailboxes will be robbed and ballots forged or illegally printed.	California/Democratic expansion identified as source of danger.	Oppose automatic mass ballot distribution.
May 29, 2020	“IT WILL ALSO LEAD TO THE END OF OUR GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY.”	Mail voting will produce massive fraud and abuse.	Mail voting threatens Republican electoral survival.	Prevent widespread mail voting.
July 2, 2020	“Mail-In Ballots will lead to massive electoral fraud and a rigged 2020 Election.”	Documented local absentee fraud predicts large-scale national fraud.	“Republicans, in particular, cannot let this happen.”	Resist expansion of mail voting.
July 30, 2020	“2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history.”	Universal mail voting will make the election historically inaccurate and fraudulent.	Democrats associated with the expansion.	Restrict universal mail voting.
July 30, 2020	“Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”	Mail voting could prevent a legitimate result.	Democrats associated with the allegedly unsafe system.	Floats delaying the election.
Aug. 3, 2020	“lost ballots and the fraudulent ballots.”	Mass mail voting will generate lost and fraudulent ballots.	Democratic-backed Nevada changes are a particular target.	Discusses possible executive intervention.
Aug. 4, 2020	“in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail!”	Florida’s mail system is “Safe and Secure, Tried and True.”	Credits Republican-led Florida administration.	Use requested mail ballots in a trusted system.
Aug. 5, 2020	“Nevada has ZERO infrastructure for Mail-In Voting.”	Nevada mail voting will produce a “corrupt disaster.”	Republican Florida is contrasted favorably with Nevada.	Courts should stop Nevada arrangement; Floridians may vote by mail.
Aug. 13, 2020	“millions and millions of mail-in ballots…can be forged.”	Foreign governments could counterfeit or capture mail ballots.	Primarily framed as foreign interference rather than domestic partisanship.	Avoid mass mail-ballot distribution.
Aug. 15, 2020	“Absentee Ballots, like they have in Florida, are good!”	Requested absentee systems can operate securely.	Not central.	Preserve traditional absentee voting while rejecting universal distribution.
Aug. 17, 2020	“Only Absentee Ballots acceptable!”	Drop boxes and universal mail ballots create opportunities for interception or alteration.	Implicit connection to Democratic mail-vote expansion.	Restrict remote voting to traditional absentee ballots.
Aug. 20, 2020	“they will search & find people, then ‘harvest’ & return Ballots.”	Organized ballot harvesting will manufacture Democratic votes.	Democrats will use harvesting to overcome weak voter enthusiasm.	Oppose mass mail voting and ballot harvesting.
Sept. 12, 2020	“The Unsolicited Mail In Ballot Scam is a major threat to our Democracy.”	Unsolicited ballots produce missing ballots and fraud.	“the Democrats know it.”	End unsolicited ballot distribution.
Sept. 18, 2020	Mass mailing of ballots is a “scam.”	Large-scale ballot mailing will create counting problems and fraud.	Democrats associated with expansion.	Preserve requested absentee voting; reject unsolicited mass distribution.
Sept. 25, 2020	“fraud being found all over the place.”	Mail-ballot fraud is already widespread.	Cites discarded Trump ballots as evidence of partisan harm.	Reject broader mail voting.
Sept. 27, 2020	“when the ballots and when the system is rigged, which it is.”	Mail-ballot and signature-verification systems are already rigged.	Democrats supposedly understand and benefit from the system.	Stronger verification; oppose mass mail distribution.
Nov. 5, 2020	“That’s why they did the mail-in ballots.”	Mail voting enabled “tremendous corruption and fraud.”	“Democrat officials never believed they could win this election honestly.”	Litigation, observation and rejection of allegedly unlawful ballots.
Nov. 26, 2020	“Many people have received two, three, and four ballots.”	People received and potentially cast multiple mail ballots.	Used to support stolen-election allegation.	Continue challenging election result.
Dec. 2, 2020	“the corrupt mail-in balloting scheme that Democrats systematically put into place.”	Expanded mail voting and weakened verification enabled pervasive fraud.	Democrats deliberately created the system to steal the election.	Audits, litigation and exclusion of allegedly unlawful ballots.
Jan. 4, 2021	“there’s no way we lost Georgia.”	Trump’s Georgia defeat could not have been legitimate.	Republican voters are told presidential result was fraudulent while being asked to vote in Senate runoffs.	Continue contesting 2020 result.
Jan. 6, 2021	“we will stop the steal.”	Trump says he actually won the election by a landslide.	Democrats and election officials deprived Trump and his supporters of victory.	Pressure officials and Congress not to accept certified outcome.
Jan. 6, 2021	“We had an election that was stolen from us.”	2020 election was fraudulent.	Victory was taken from Trump and supporters.	Continues stolen-election claim while telling supporters to go home.
Jan. 7, 2021	“My campaign vigorously pursued every legal avenue to contest the election results.”	Election-integrity concerns justified legal challenges.	Partisan accusation muted.	Accept transition after legal avenues fail.
Feb. 28, 2021	“corrupt mail-in voting.”	Mail voting contributed to an illegitimate election.	Fraud allegedly benefited Democrats.	Election-law changes.
Nov. 29, 2022	“YOU CAN NEVER HAVE FAIR & FREE ELECTIONS WITH MAIL-IN BALLOTS.”	Fair elections with mail ballots are impossible.	Statement follows Republican midterm disappointments.	End mail voting.
Jan. 6, 2023	“All Republican Governors should immediately begin the process of ENDING MAIL IN BALLOTS.”	Mail ballots are permanently “fraught with corruption.”	Explicit direction to Republican governors.	Same-day voting, voter ID, paper ballots; narrow absentee exceptions.
Mar. 4, 2023	“Republicans must compete using every lawful means to win.”	Republican reliance on Election Day voting creates a strategic disadvantage.	Democrats have mastered early and mail voting.	Republicans should use mail, early and Election Day voting while rules remain in place.
Mar. 9, 2023	“We have no choice but to beat the Democrats at their own game.”	Democrats gain advantages through ballot harvesting and early voting.	Explicit Democratic-versus-Republican competition.	Republicans should conduct lawful ballot harvesting where permitted.
Mar. 27, 2023	“The Democrats used Covid inspired Mail In Ballots to CHEAT.”	Pandemic-expanded mail voting facilitated cheating in 2020.	Democrats used the system to cheat.	Return to restricted mail voting.
Jan. 4, 2024	“THE RIGGED & STOLEN ELECTION, MAIL-IN BALLOTS & ZUCKERBUCKS.”	Undeliverable or problematic mail ballots demonstrate an unreliable system.	Connected to Trump’s 2020 defeat.	Continue challenging mail-vote legitimacy.
June 19, 2024	“make a plan to VOTE—either by mail, early in person, or on Election Day.”	Republicans must use all available voting methods.	Republican turnout must become “too big to rig.”	Use mail voting, early voting and Election Day voting.
Oct. 29–31, 2024	“Today is the deadline to request your absentee ballot.” / “Tomorrow is the last day to request your absentee ballot.”	No fraud claim in the voting instruction itself.	Explicit Republican turnout strategy.	Request and cast absentee ballots.
Aug. 18, 2025	“I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS.”	Other countries allegedly abandoned mail voting because of “MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD.”	Democrats will oppose reform “BECAUSE THEY CHEAT.”	Executive action; eliminate ordinary mail voting and voting machines in favor of paper ballots.
Feb. 2026	“NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS (EXCEPT FOR ILLNESS, DISABILITY, MILITARY, OR TRAVEL!).”	Existing American election rules facilitate rigged or stolen elections.	Republicans should fight for reform; Democratic opposition portrayed as enabling cheating.	Photo ID, documentary citizenship proof and narrow absentee exceptions.
Feb. 13, 2026	“There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!”	Elections without ID and citizenship safeguards are vulnerable to illegitimate voting.	Democratic opposition attributed to desire to cheat.	Presidential action even without congressional approval.
Mar. 23, 2026	“Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating.”	Mail voting itself produces cheating.	Part of broader argument that current rules enable electoral manipulation.	Eliminate or severely restrict mail voting.
May 2026	“Maybe the worst of all is the mail-in ballots.”	Maryland ballot errors demonstrate broader dangers of mail voting.	Error used as evidence against the voting method generally.	Abolish or severely restrict mail voting.
June 18, 2026	“We should stop Utah from doing this.”	Utah’s universal mail-vote system is vulnerable to cheating.	Mail voting allegedly enables Democratic cheating even in Republican-led Utah.	End Utah’s universal mail-vote system.
July 16, 2026	“mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt.”	Mail ballots are inherently vulnerable to fraud; election systems also face hacking, foreign interference and ineligible voting.	Opposition to election-security legislation associated with a desire to cheat.	Photo ID, proof of citizenship, paper ballots and elimination of ordinary mail voting except limited cases.
July 22, 2026	“thousands and thousands of votes” cast by people in the country illegally.	Large numbers of noncitizens allegedly voted in New Jersey.	Allegedly unlawful voters associated with Democratic interests.	Citizenship verification, voter ID and SAVE America legislation.

Related Links

• Why Mail In Voting Isn’t As Bad As You Think
• Most U.S. Citizens Can Vote By Mail
• Examining Trump’s Authoritarian Strategies in 2020: His Attempted Coup
• Immigrants Don’t Threaten Communities; They Revitalize Them
• The Republican Threat: Trump Lost, Get Over It!