Fact Check: Is Gavin Newsom's claim Trump 'tried to steal the last election' true?
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND: California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, January 22, said he was not surprised that the Trump administration blocked his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a day before, and said it was another example of the POTUS trying to stifle dissent.
He added that the Trump administration 'made sure it was cancelled'. However, during his appearance on Thursday, the California Governor made a bold claim saying that President Donald Trump 'tried to steal the last election'. But is there any truth to his statement? Let us find out below.
Claim: Gavin Newsom says Trump 'tried to steal the last election'
Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that the current America doesn't have a 'rule of law' and instead has a "rule of Don", while taking a jab at Donald Trump.
"You don't have co-eco branches of government. You have a supine Congress. You don't have a Speaker of the House. He doesn't exist. Popular Sovereignty being challenged every single day by voter suppression, trying to rig elections," Newsom added.
He then claimed, "Donald Trump tried to steal the last election. He tried to light democracy on fire and then pardoned everybody who participated in that. Is anyone paying attention to what the hell is happening to the United States of America?"
During his Davos visit on Thursday, Newsom added, "That’s what’s happening in the United States of America. Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech - it’s America in reverse. They’re censoring historical facts. They’re rewriting history."
Fact Check: No credible evidence to back Newsom's claim
There is no substantial evidence from official investigations, court rulings, or election officials to prove Gavin Newsom's claim that Donald Trump 'tried to steal' the 2024 election is true.
Moreover, searches on search engines, such as Google or Bing, showed no credible news reports to back the California Governor's bold claim. Even during his speech, he bluntly claimed without providing any substantial evidence.
Trump won the election with 312 electoral votes to Harris's 226, and a popular vote margin of around 3 million, certified by all states without major disputes.
Furthermore, the 2024 election saw high scrutiny following the 2020 events, with reforms like stricter voter ID in some states. Trump's victory in the 2024 election was attributed to economic concerns, immigration, and Democratic turnout dips, and not fraud.
After 2024, the Trump administration focused on probes into past elections (such as 2020), but no retroactive claims altered the legitimacy of the 2024 election.
