Trump reiterates 2020 election fraud claim, calls opponents ‘dirty, rotten, cheaters’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump told House Republicans and major GOP donors Tuesday night that he was "cheated" out of the 2020 presidential election.

Speaking at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual fundraising dinner, Trump described the 2020 contest as one of three strong performances by him and his MAGA movement, but the only one marred by fraud.

Trump rallies GOP lawmakers and donors at NRCC

The closed-door address at the NRCC dinner drew top House leadership, including Majority Leader Mike Johnson, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson, along with dozens of MAGA candidates and major donors.

Organizers described the evening as a major success, with Trump personally contributing $1 million and the event on pace to shatter fundraising records. 

Trump used much of his roughly hour-long speech to celebrate his administration’s early wins. He touted a rebuilt military he called the strongest in history, the completion of more than 1,000 miles of border wall, a 61 percent drop in fentanyl seizures, tax cuts that included no taxes on tips, overtime pay or Social Security benefits, and sharp reductions in prescription drug prices.

He also justified military actions against Iran and the unprecedented apprehension of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

The President also rallied his allies ahead of midterm elections, urging the room to “keep fighting” and warning that Democrats would use every tactic to hold power.

President revisits 2020 results while crediting 2016 and 2024 landslides

Midway through the speech, Trump turned to the three elections he claims to have won.

“We had two great elections,” he said. “We had three, because 2020 was equally good, but they cheated. Millions of votes. Dirty cheats, dirty rotten cheaters.”

Trump then asked the audience to weigh in on which race mattered most.

“Which was the most important election? Which was the more glam — the whole thing, right? Which was the better election? I’m gonna go 2016 or 2024,” Trump said, prompting cheers. “Ready? 2016. Whoa. 2024. Whoa. Could be right. A lot of people feel that way. I mean, 2016 was unique because somebody that had never done this before won.”

The cheers appeared to be much louder for his 2024 victory, when he carried all seven swing states by millions of votes, won the Electoral College 312-226, secured the popular vote for the first time in decades for a Republican, and captured 86 percent of the nation’s counties.

“2,700 to 525. That’s pretty good. That’s what they call a slaughter," Trump quipped.

Trump demands voter ID and proof of citizenship, cites mail-in ballot risks

The President also used the platform to press for stricter election rules, repeatedly calling for voter identification with a photo and proof of citizenship. He said Democrats oppose such measures for one reason only.

“The only reason you don’t want that is because you want to cheat, and they do cheat,” he told the crowd. “And we can’t let them get away with it. So we have to keep that fight going. We have to get voter ID, and we have to get proof of citizenship. It’s so important. One of the most important things we can do.”

He singled out mail-in ballots as particularly vulnerable, noting that while he won Florida despite expanded mail voting, the system is abused elsewhere.

“I happen to be a fan of no mail-in ballots,” Trump said. “I won Florida, which is mail-in ballots by a massive number, the highest number in history … but in California and other states, they cheat so badly with that. They send 38 million ballots out. And of the 38 million, they go to Democrats a hell of a lot.”

He invoked a 1980s commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and Sen. Scoop Jackson that warned against widespread mail-in voting because it would invite “massive cheating.”

Trump also cited polling numbers showing overwhelming public support for voter ID (96 to 98 percent among Republicans and 86 percent among all voters) and argued that only Democrats fight the change because it threatens their ability to win close races.