Fact Check: Did Trump say blue tsunami was caused by Democrats cheating in California?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the Democratic victory in the midterm election, a rumor is circulating on social media platforms claiming President Donald Trump said that the Democrats won the election because they cheated in California. The claim has sparked conflicting reactions, with many calling for a fact check.
Claim: Donald Trump said Democrats cheated in California
According to an X post that has gone viral, Trump said, “Democrats cheated in California. That’s what caused the blue tsunami.”
The claim has also spread on Facebook and Threads, collectively garnering tens of thousands of views as of this writing, with many appearing to agree with the alleged quote, while others dismissed it as fake. Some have questioned the authenticity of the claim and called for a fact-check.
Fact Check: Donald Trump made no such remark
However, the claim is false, as there are no records of Trump saying that Democrats won the election by cheating.
There are no new statements, announcements, press conferences, or social media posts by Trump or the White House stating that Democrats cheated in California.
If the president had really made such a remark, prominent media outlets would have widely covered it, making headlines, but a search on Google returned no such credible news reports.
Additionally, the claim was posted by an X user named Spencer Hakimian, who, though not explicitly a parody account, has posted similar fake and unverified claims for the sake of engagement.
Moreover, Trump’s reaction to the Democratic victory in the midterms has largely been optimistic and contradicts the claim made by the post.
Democrats flip Congress, dealing a blow to Donald Trump
Democrats have taken control of both chambers of Congress in the midterms, even flipping a number of the traditionally Republican Senate seats, which is a major blow to Trump, who had been touring the country in the final weeks of the election, endorsing the Republicans to help them maintain their congressional majorities.
The Democrats took the four seats by flipping seats in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas, and Iowa, giving them significantly more leverage to oppose the president's agenda over the remaining two years of his term.
Some of the results were historic, with Adam Hamilton projected to be the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Kansas since 1932, and James Talarico the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since 1988.
