Donald Trump Admits It Was His 'Decision' to Claim 2020 Election Was ‘Rigged’: "Listened to Some People"

In a recent interview with NBC's Meet the Press, former President Donald Trump publicly revealed that he chose to call the 2020 presidential race "rigged." This shocking discovery sheds light on the source of the inaccurate charges of election fraud that have continued to divide the country. Trump's remarks come as he faces multiple criminal charges concerning his efforts to change the election results.

Trump admitted that he did not respect the lawyers and campaign staffers who told him he had lost the 2020 election. Even though his campaign lost many lawsuits attempting to overturn the election results, Trump continued to promote the notion of widespread election fraud. According to Politico, he said, “In many cases, I didn’t respect them,” during the interview.  “But I did respect others. I respected many others who said the election was rigged.”

“You called some of your outside lawyers — you said they had crazy theories. Why were you listening to them? Were you listening to them because they were telling you what you wanted to hear?” Kristen Welker, host of NBC, inquired. Trump said, “You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened. I watched that election, and I thought the election was over at 10 p.m." Trump added, “It was my decision. But I listened to some people. Some people said that.”

Furthermore, Trump singled out former US Attorney General William Barr as one of the lawyers whose advice he disregarded. Barr had advised Trump that he had lost the election, but Trump ignored his counsel, claiming that Barr "didn't do his job because he was afraid."

These new developments are crucial in light of Trump's ongoing legal challenges. He is currently facing four criminal indictments at the same time, including federal charges in Washington and a state indictment in Georgia, all of which are tied to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, per Reuters. Trump has pled not guilty in all of these cases, but his words in the interview might potentially weaken one of his legal defenses: that he challenged the election results based on the advice of his lawyers.

Throughout the election season and beyond, Trump claimed a massive plot to steal the election, despite offering no tangible evidence to back up his assertions. In a televised statement from the White House briefing room, Trump asserted that “If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” a claim that was widely debunked and refuted by election officials and courts across the country, per The New York Times. Despite this, Trump continued to cast doubt on the election's legitimacy.

Even Trump's closest allies and Republican leaders have distanced themselves from his unfounded accusations. The impact of Trump's bogus claims reverberated throughout the country, with some Trump supporters storming the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the election results. This bloody insurgency claimed lives and left many injured.