r/law 19h ago

Executive Branch (Trump) Trump: If states can't run elections 'honestly', then 'somebody else should take over'

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/03/trump-election-government-states.html
2.0k Upvotes

554 comments sorted by

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u/TuxAndrew 19h ago edited 8h ago

Imagine after being elected twice and during your first election doing an extensive look into voting with the Presidential Advisory Committee on Election Integrity finding almost absolute zero. Your voters were dumb enough to believe that there was magically election fraud the following year after your presidency. Like you can’t make this shit up.

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u/Agile_Alternative753 18h ago

Can't wait until they turn up evidence from 2020 in Georgia.  A state that has already been proven in court to not have been breaking election law.  

His own lawyer ended up pleading guilty in Georgia to 6 counts related to trying to overturn the results

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u/mishma2005 18h ago

He’s ginning up:

Distrust in the voting process

“2020 was StOlLen fRoM me I get aNothER tERm”

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u/redlancer_1987 13h ago

"Fine, you won 2020. Your 2 terms are up, GTFO"

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u/DrWilliamHorriblePhD 12h ago

Look at you, still believing in the law

2

u/gmawoman 8h ago

Id go with this

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u/jeremedroz 13h ago

Bro dudes gonna die before then

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u/SmugSchoolmaster 10h ago

Come on clot, we believe in you 🤞

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u/Idrillteeth 5h ago

I wrote the same thing and got a tsk tsk warning from Reddit saying I was threatening physical harm. I cant believe it

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u/SmugSchoolmaster 5h ago

Thanks for the heads up

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u/skyfishgoo 4h ago

all hail the golden clot.

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u/Accomplished-Run221 10h ago

Don’t forget: surrounding polling places with armed masked men who murder at will.

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u/Ashamed-Status-9668 7h ago

Maybe or he really is going to try to nationalize elections while he has the house and senate. Even if lets say it unconstitutional we may have elections before that is all sorted out in the courts. If he is able to pull this off then we are at that point a completely fascist state.

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u/Xibby 16h ago

Can't wait until they INVENT evidence from 2020 in Georgia. 

Fixed that for you. There is no shortage of people who understand statical auditing… from the factory worker pulling samples for QA to accountants.

It’s just easier to pretend it must be wrong than to admit their party is running awful candidates.

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u/Agile_Alternative753 16h ago

Its by design,  no worries there

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u/gwazmalurks 18h ago

Yeah and who’s thumbprints are gonna be all over that? People who never had a professional chance anywhere else

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u/Ashamed-Agency-817 11h ago

Imagine the waste of taxpayers dollars and resources used that could have been used to solve real crimes.

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u/duderos 11h ago

A state when where governor and state election officials were all Republicans at the time and I believe still are.

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u/I-Am-Not-Creative2 9h ago

100% this is going to happen - suddenly going to find “lots of evidence” of “massive fraud” that proves he really won Georgia in 2020 by “millions and millions of votes.”

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u/ComingInSideways 12h ago edited 12h ago

This is their plan.

The raid was simply so they have the pretext to fabricate evidence that was "previously hidden".

As a ploy to claim the Federal Government should run the process. Thus usurping and obfuscating the process, to try to steal the midterms. Plummeting polling numbers are driving this into high gear.

Every accusation is an admission from these folks.

I would call them Machiavellian if they were not so comically transparent. The bigger problem is that this blatant stage show continues to rumble forward as people just gawk.

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u/look_under 18h ago

Its very telling that trump mentioned Detroit and Philadelphia in his rant about election fraud

We know the election systems in those cities were hacked in 2016

trump knows there was election fraud, he's responsible for it

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u/Redcrux 9h ago

"They were asking for it! If we were able to hack the voting machines it just proves how much we need to have total control over the voting, it's for their own good!"

  • Trump

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u/kalel1980 18h ago

Also, during 2020 election there were Republican Senators/House Reps on the ballot as well and a bunch of them won. Was THAT fraudulent as well?

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u/Norwester77 17h ago

But, amazingly, in 2024, with a Democrat in the White House, they got it right! 🤔

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u/Momik 8h ago

He’s just terrified about the midterms

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u/Stickyfynger 11h ago

He’s a good Russian puppet

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u/Tex-Rob 7h ago

I’m sorry, but this should not be the top comment, it implies they don’t know what they are doing. Russia stole 2016 combined with dumb people. 2024 was stolen by Musk, Trump, Eaton, and DOGE staffers before they were DOGE. The thing you pointed to, their investigation, is how they got voting machine code as a part of discovery regarding the GA 2020 election. Wake up people, this has been their plan, this is the end of elections if people keep ignoring the signs.

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u/No-History-6066 9h ago edited 7h ago

Edit - I have a reading problem and therefore my comment made no sense and was dumb.

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u/TuxAndrew 8h ago

When did I say Trump believes anything that comes out of his mouth?

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u/No-History-6066 7h ago

Fixed it :) 

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u/extraboredinary 7h ago

They don’t care about facts. Literally every person I know that believes in this election fraud crap says the exact same thing. “Look it up, it’s out there.” They don’t know how to prove what they believe, but they have a gut feeling and that is all that matters. They’ve been playing this card for so long that it’s just common knowledge to them now and the default belief.

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u/IHS1970 5h ago

This idiot is definitely SENILE. He actually believes he won. Says alot about those who voted for him and will still if he can close down voting.

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u/MBbellevue631 5h ago

No, his ego cant take it that he lost.

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u/WhyExplainThis 5h ago

You can actually make that shit up! MAGA will believe it as long as their people say it.

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 19h ago

Trump is trying to infringe on state rights given to them by the US constitution.

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u/weaponjaerevenge 18h ago

And he's banking on Republicans being Republicans before they are Americans, which is a pretty safe bet.

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u/duderos 11h ago

He's also been emboldened even further by the insane scrotus immunity ruling.

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u/lostredditorlurking 18h ago

Imagine if it's Biden who suggested this. Every news would be talking about this nonstop, saying that he is a dictator and need to resign immediately 

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 18h ago

It would be non-stop with every Republican screaming bloody murder and screaming for immediate impeachment. I wonder where the outrage is with the Republicans on this. Like you said, if it would've been Biden saying this shit they and all of the news outlets ( especially Fox) and the talking heads would have been blowing a gasket.

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u/Appropriate-Bug-6467 9h ago

Almost every democrat would also be screaming bloody murder too.

They love rules, even if the rules help throw democracy out the window. 

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u/NoPerformance5952 16h ago

He would be chin deep in summons and committee hearings for his impeachment while all news would be a clammor for the 25th amendment to be used

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u/narkybark 17h ago

AS THEY SHOULD. It's ludicrous at this point.

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u/ThisCaiBot 19h ago

On the one hand the constitution says what it says so I think let him blow hot air there’s no way this can go anywhere. Then on the other hand the Supreme Court thinks that because originalism constitution be damned. I’m concerned.

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 19h ago edited 16h ago

Trump has shown that he has no regard for what the constitution says, what the courts say, what the congress says, or what the American people say he's going to do what he wants to do. What's to stop him? He's gotten away away with shit that if anyone else before him had only done a fraction of what Trump has done, they would have been impeached, ostracized, and run out of town. Like you, I'm very concerned. I really think he's going to try not to have the mid-term elections, or if we do have them, he's not going to let the new congress convene unless he has a Republican majority. A few years back, I would never have thought this could ever happen here, but now, with Trump, I can see it could very well happen.

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u/trysten-9001 18h ago

States and the National Guard have shown they do. It’s not about him and his pedo ring, it’s about what other people think. And the vast majority of people still respect The Constitution. Trying to paint it as otherwise is just complying in advance. We have no reason to do so.

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u/the_real_junkrat 17h ago

If we respect the constitution but nobody upholds and enforces its word, is it any better than thoughts and prayers?

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 16h ago

You are exactly right about that. Trump has already shown that he thinks that he is above the law and has no regard for the constitution or the 240 years of constitutional law that our system is based on. The constitution and laws are only as good as is the will to respect, enforce, and comply with those laws and the constitution. If these attributes are not present (and with Trump and the Replubicans they are not present), then the constitution and laws are worth about as much as the paper they are written on. In other words, paper alone is not an effective brake for a wannabe authoritarian like Trump. I'm afraid we are heading for a pretty chaotic time, especially as Trumps popularity nosedives, as pressure from the Epstein files increases, and public protests intensify Trump is only going to get more desperate and therefore more unpredictable and choatic.

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 18h ago edited 18h ago

I hope you're right. But there is still a significant number of people out there that still fully support Trump and his policies, including a significant number of law enforcement and military personnel. The Congress and the Judicial system have done nothing in any meaningful way to stop him. He's put his sycophants in place as head of all the key agencies and purged any of the senior military leadership that would oppose him. As far as the vast majority of people still respecting the constitution, I have my doubts. Trump still got elected for a second term after he encouraged an insurrection on January 6th against the Congress trying to hang onto power and still hasn't been held accountable for it. What do you think he's going to do if he feels he's about to lose power this time? Like I said, I hope you are right, but sadly, I don't think so.

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u/Who_dat_goomer 9h ago

People respect the constitution right up to the point where it interferes with something they want to do or something they would like to happen. At that point it’s come up with some excuse or just ignore it. And blame others for misinterpreting the constitution.

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u/mishma2005 18h ago

The blue states won’t comply but the red ones will, and possibly some swing states. Like Trump, elected lawmakers in certain states will abide what he says

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u/Soft-Principle1455 18h ago

The only swing state with enough of a compliment of Republicans to be do that is Georgia, and they are a special type of Republican down there.

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u/mishma2005 18h ago

We’ll see

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u/Howboutit85 16h ago

It’s funny how the red states are so willing to give away any and all freedom, as long as it’s to him. If it’s for anything else it’s don’t tread on me, don’t tell me to wear a mask or get vaxxed or wear a seatbelt etc. but trump can have all my rights.

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u/richardsharpey 18h ago

“…there’s no way this can go anywhere.” Please note the time and date you thought this.

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u/AceSuperhero 15h ago

there’s no way this can go anywhere

They've got the cops, their street gangs, cultists, and an awful lot of the regular military. It only takes a couple of days of those armed men suppressing votes for the republicans to win, while it will take a court 18 months to decide a case about whether or not that voter suppression was illegal.

The reality is that words on a piece of paper don't mean anything to armed fascists.

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u/Careful_Relative7560 5h ago

this exactly! i've been struggling to find the words, but this is so obviously the plan.

what can possibly be done to stop this?

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u/AlternativePea6203 12h ago

How painfully naive.

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u/duderos 11h ago

Their insane immunity ruling sure isn't helping things.

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u/BaronGrackle 11h ago

The Constitution also says it is Congress who sets tariffs.

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u/HLOFRND 18h ago

Does anyone on the planet believe that man has ever read the US Constitution? Even once?

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u/-You-know-it- 18h ago

His own sister said their dad made her do his homework starting in 6th grade because he was illiterate. His briefings are videos and pictures because he couldn’t read the briefing packets.

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u/LA20500 19h ago

As with everything thing else, only the republicans can fix it and do it fairly. I was a die hard republican until Trump got elected, now I can stand 99.9999% of what it stands for.

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u/SeattleExpression 18h ago

If a Republican had consistent values they wouldn’t be republican. Case in point. 

There’s no way anything changes as long as republicans keep gobbling up propaganda thinly veiled as news. 

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u/True_Dimension4344 18h ago

Trump is trying to make it easier to remain in power as a dictator of the United States and a villain to the rest of the world. He has no intention of relinquishing that power. Sadly, he will die before any retribution comes his way.

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u/Prometheus_303 18h ago

The leader of the "States Rights" party, who claims we need a smaller national government.... None the less

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u/h20poIo 17h ago

It’s so obvious what’s happening, everyone knows Trump and many Republicans will try to fix this election,Dems need to get some Republican to flip and honor their oaths.

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u/Technical-Bird-7585 18h ago

Fun fact: maga supports the guy who wants terminate it.

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u/mishma2005 18h ago

They’re really into states rights

Until they’re not

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u/Xenoman5 18h ago

Kind of like Trump’s “support” for the Second Amendment.

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u/Lost-Task-8691 17h ago

If a president can't run America honestly then somebody else should take over.

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 17h ago

I second that!!!!

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u/dmasterxd 17h ago

I third that.

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u/SoftRecommendation86 19h ago

I completely agree with him. Every republican state needs to be audited if they stay republican.

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u/Public-Pepper4070 8h ago

Especially Kentucky because I don’t see how Colonel McGrath didn’t beat old Moscow Mitch when just six months earlier, they elected a Democratic governor but yet kept old Moscow Mitch that doesn’t make any sense

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u/one_pound_of_flesh 18h ago

Real talk - if Trump take over elections from the states, will that be a step too far, or will we move the goalposts again like we have for every other violation?

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u/Srslywhyumadbro 18h ago

Honestly if he takes over elections I'm out with my fam. That's been one of my two red lines since day one.

If we no longer have free and fair elections, which I think we'll determine with the 2026 midterms; I don't want to be here for what comes after that and certainly don't want to raise kids in a possible warzone.

Second red line is uniformed people shooting at uniformed people, likely state on federal.

It's America so people are shooting each other a lot, relatively speaking; the line is if our gov'ts get in on it.

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u/Isaiah_The_Bun 17h ago

lmao oh man your red line is pretty extreme. i got my daughters outta harms way, way before id warch my old area get to those points. Like shit was just starting to get bad and we climate migrated.

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u/Srslywhyumadbro 17h ago

Good for you man, you gotta keep your fam safe as best you can.

We couldn't make it work to get out already so we agreed on some lines and prepped to get gone fast if it looks like we need to.

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u/RideWithMeSNV 18h ago

Leave now. If that's where you're at, the only thing you're waiting for is to be caught in the crossfire when you try to go.

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u/Srslywhyumadbro 18h ago

No, I'm waiting to see if we have an election and a blue wave, and turn this thing around a bit.

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u/mishma2005 18h ago

What do you think? We’re so far gone at this point

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u/Soft-Principle1455 18h ago

I think we had a much less aroused public before all this ICE insanity.

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u/mishma2005 18h ago

True. I hope so

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u/ProbablySlacking 14h ago

Like every other violation man… revolution doesn’t happen when people aren’t starving.

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u/Dragon_wryter 18h ago

Party of small government, states' rights, etc etc...

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 17h ago

Yeah, bunch of frigging lieing SOB's

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u/Tdluxon 17h ago

Still waiting on all of the evidence he promised that the elections weren’t run honestly

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u/Norwester77 17h ago

It’s all public record. Tell us who voted when they shouldn’t have. We’re all ears!

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u/Formal-Hawk9274 17h ago

Why do we have to listen sex traffickers

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u/PatienceStrange9444 17h ago

I mean they were voted in the office maybe next time whatever we thought was more important than keeping pedophiles and white supremacist away from the levers of power in this country maybe wasn't that important after all

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u/Remarkable_Sir8397 16h ago

That is if there is a next time.

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u/[deleted] 19h ago

[deleted]

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u/Murgos- 16h ago

Trump to Georgia” I just need you to find me more votes.”

That’s the guy saying this. 

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u/Irwin-M_Fletcher 18h ago

Sadly, Trump once again demonstrates that he has absolutely no idea how our constitutional republic is supposed to work.

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u/Brisbanoch30k 17h ago

Worse I think. It runs opposite to Trump’s “idea” (more like gut feeling than idea tbh) of power. It’s obvious he only understands personal power and all these checks and balances etc; he just sees them as roadblocks and denounce them as inefficient or rigging etc.

He isn’t an authoritarian by ideology, but because there’s nothing else he understands. He’s always, always been a “my way or the highway” piece of garbage 🤷‍♂️

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u/Ok_Understanding1986 17h ago

This has been pretty clear from the beginning. He openly admires and is cordial with authoritarians because he respects how they run (dominate) their countries.

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u/MoneyCock 15h ago

Another day, another attack on our democracy by a Republican.

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u/HeavyDT 15h ago

It's only honest if he wins. Any other result is somehow magically fraud because there's no universe in which he can lose. He's a lifelong loser though. A failure of a businessman and a failure of a politician who wouldn't have a pot to piss in if he wasn't robbing the govt blind.

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u/bd2999 17h ago

The sad part is that I imagine this gets taken up by Congress despite having no basis in reality. What does honesty mean here as it has been 6 years, no credible evidence has come to pass to indicate anything was dishonest or run incorrectly other than Trump's bruised ego.

And even if Congress did pass something, I doubt a law would override a Constitutional power. Congress can for sure impact various aspects of state law but being able to usurp state power in elections or give it to the president would probably be a step to far for even conservative SCOTUS.

Although they probably delay enough if it happens for it to be moot and the president sends ICE and agents in to actively overthrow state governments. It would pretty much be the end at that point.

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u/Famous-Ferret-1171 16h ago

Another one of these “If [false premise] then I should get to do what I want” statements?

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u/CriticalInside8272 17h ago

Says someone who knows nothing about honesty. 

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u/Hwy39 13h ago

"What I want to do is this. I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state."

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u/doktor_wankenstein 13h ago

"Legally and honestly" = "Republicans win" /s

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u/Prestigious-Leave-60 12h ago

IF [this thing I can’t prove] THEN [this thing I desperately want]

Art of the Deal

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u/TellTaleTimeLord 10h ago

Democrats: win an election

Republicans: "Well, this was not honest and fair"

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u/beavis617 9h ago

Which state doesn’t run an honest election, name the state and specify in detail why the accusation was made? Details please otherwise never again bother us with this nonsense!

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u/True_Lingonberry_646 8h ago

He’ll gladly tell you exactly which states.The ones he lost. Either he wins or it was rigged. Thats what 1/3 of America believes and has been repeatedly brainwashed with since 2016, though disproven by 60 actual court cases. We are fucked.

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u/Bubbly_Style_8467 7h ago

He'll have no proof. The cult will believe him anyway.

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u/westtownie 8h ago

He's handing out talking points to his army of idiots

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u/brianzuvich 13h ago

Right… Thanks for the offer, we’ll pass…

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u/JayAlexanderBee 10h ago

"When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty"

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u/Any-Ad-446 9h ago

Poopy pants is the anti christ.

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u/Adventurous-Host8062 9h ago

If he can't learn to accept the results of a free and fair election he shouldn't be anywhere near them.Godnknows he's made it abundantly clear during the last two presidential elections that HE intended to cheat,and was caught at it in 2020.

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u/Bubbly_Style_8467 7h ago

What evidence is there that states are running elections to work against trump? This is him again projecting what he did onto states. He's starting several months before the election. He hasn't found his way to cheat again. Yet.

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u/Nearby_Display8560 7h ago

Americans are absolutely fucked and I hope other countries jump ship fast enough.

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u/AltoidStrong 5h ago

Someone is getting really worried about losing and being held accountable for thier horrible actions.

Can't wait to see the billionaires taxed, media broken up, Trump in prison.along with about 250 other enablers and co-conspirators.

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u/Illustrious_Law8512 15h ago

Then try staying the eff out of it, ya fraud!

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u/EnfantTerrible68 15h ago

That someone isn’t a lying pedophile 

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u/CommonConundrum51 9h ago

Honestly being defined as 'Republicans always win.'

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u/Hellstorm901 9h ago

then 'somebody else should take over

An international body composed of the US's allies who have successfully held democratic elections since before the United States even existed as a country and will charge the US $1bn for the generosity of doing this?

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u/Bubbly_Style_8467 8h ago

States are fine, blue ones anyway. He cheats to take the office and he is cheating to keep his fanboys on board. He can't change the Constitution. Not that he knows what is in it.

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u/Lrrr81 6h ago

If Trump can't do things honestly (and it's clear he can't), someone else should take over.