In the years following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump would routinely boast that he’d soon present evidence in support of his absurd electoral conspiracy theories. That never happened, of course, because there was no evidence to share: The Republican lost fair and square.
Gradually, and with no meaningful fanfare, his posture evolved. Trump stopped saying that he’d eventually find proof that he’d secretly won the election that he’d lost and started saying that he’d already found proof — but no one was allowed to see it.
In fact, as the president’s second term unfolded, he incorporated this belief into his talking points, as they were a foregone conclusion that had already gained mainstream acceptance. As recently as last week, he sat down with The New York Post’s Miranda Devine for a podcast interview in which he said, in reference to the 2020 race, “It’s been proven to be rigged.” Proven by whom? He didn’t say.
The quote, however, was hardly unfamiliar. The president declared at an Oval Office event in April, “They’re finding out the 2020 election was totally rigged.” Who are “they”? And what did they “find out?” No one knows. Two weeks earlier, Trump similarly told Maria Bartiromo during a Fox News interview, “Look, the election was rigged. You know that; I know that; everybody knows that now. It’s all come out.”
For Trump, it’s simply a foregone conclusion that his election delusions aren’t just real; they’ve been proven real — by “them,” and the unidentified information that’s “come out,” thanks to what “they” have “found out.”
Amidst all of this nonsense, at literally no point has the president made even the slightest effort to substantiate his claims with evidence. He instead just repeats his assertions, ad nauseum, confident in his ability to bully reality into submission.
Once in a great while, however, he’s confronted with a word that practically causes a presidential allergic reaction: evidence.
During a brief Q&A with reporters in March, “PBS News Hour” reporter Liz Landers asked Trump for evidence of his 2020 election conspiracy theory. He responded by calling her a “rotten reporter” and quickly turned his attention to a different reporter.
Nearly three months later, the president sat down with NBC News’ Kristen Welker for his latest “Meet the Press” interview, and when the host dared to use the “e” word, he couldn’t simply shift his focus to a different reporter, so he instead abruptly ended the interview. MS NOW reported:
“You’re either crooked or you’re stupid,” Trump told Welker, who kept a cool demeanor despite the president’s barrage of disparaging slurs.
Moments before he attacked her, Trump — without providing any evidence — said he believes elections in the U.S. are rigged. Then he lambasted television news networks, singling out NBC, CBS and ABC.
“They’re crooked just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump said.
In context, there was no great mystery as to what triggered the president and generated his interview-ending meltdown: After Trump wrapped up a conspiratorial rant about Jan. 6 rioters, Welker emphasized for viewers, “Just to be very clear, there’s no evidence of what you’re saying.” He was clearly not pleased.