THE 2020 ELECTION
Every fraud claim debunked. Every lawsuit lost. Every crime documented.
Sources: Court Records · DOJ Filings · Congressional Report · Sworn Testimony · State Election Records
Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.— Judge Stephanos Bibas, Trump appointee, Third Circuit Court of Appeals — November 27, 2020
The 2020 presidential election has been the most scrutinized, audited, recounted, and litigated election in American history. Sixty-two lawsuits were filed and sixty-one were rejected by courts, including by judges Trump himself appointed. Every state certified its results. Every recount confirmed the outcome. Fox News paid $787.5 million for broadcasting election lies. Trump's own Attorney General called the fraud claims "bullshit." And four of Trump's co-conspirators pleaded guilty in Georgia, admitting under oath what they had done.
Despite this overwhelming body of evidence, the lie persists. As of 2023, 69 percent of Republicans still believed the election was stolen. This page documents every major fraud claim and its debunking, every lawsuit and its outcome, every action Trump took to overturn the results, and the human cost of a lie that has reshaped American democracy.
The Election
Was Secure
Every institution responsible for election security — from Trump's own appointees to Republican state officials to international observers — confirmed the 2020 election was legitimate.
Trump fired Krebs five days later for telling the truth.
In sworn testimony to the January 6 Committee, Barr was blunter: "I told the president the stuff his people were shoveling out was bullshit."
Georgia: Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and SoS Brad Raffensperger (R) certified after three separate counts.
Arizona: Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed certification, stating: "That's the law. I've sworn an oath to uphold it."
Pennsylvania: GOP Commissioner Al Schmidt defended the count and received death threats targeting his family by name.
Audited.
Recounted.
Confirmed.
Every recount and audit — including those requested and funded by Trump and his allies — confirmed or expanded Biden's victory.
A subsequent machine recount — requested by Trump — confirmed it again. Secretary of State Raffensperger: "Georgia's historic first statewide audit reaffirmed that the state's new secure paper ballot voting system accurately counted and reported results."
Their own audit found Biden won by even more. Biden gained 360 additional votes. The Republican Chairman of the Board of Supervisors called the report "littered with errors & faulty conclusions." Cyber Ninjas subsequently went bankrupt.
Result: Biden's lead increased by 87 votes.
A subsequent state audit by the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau confirmed that the 2020 election was "secure" and that no voting machines changed, deleted, or incorrectly tabulated votes.
Every conspiracy theory about Dominion machines in Michigan was debunked by the state's own verification process.
In Court vs.
On Camera
Trump's lawyers made explosive fraud claims on television. But in court — where lying carries consequences — they told a very different story.
What They Said
in Court
When facing actual legal consequences for lying, Trump's own lawyers admitted they had no fraud case.
This is not a fraud case.
This is not a fraud case. We are not alleging fraud. We are not saying anyone is trying to steal the election.
Your Honor, accusing people of fraud is a pretty big step.
Petitioners do not allege, and there is no evidence of, any fraud in connection with the challenged ballots.
What the
Judges Said
86 judges — including 38 Republican appointees and 8 Trump appointees — rejected the claims. These are their words.
Rejected by
Their Own Judges
Trump-appointed and Republican-appointed judges delivered some of the most devastating rebukes.
One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption. That has not happened. This Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unsupported by evidence.
Voters, not lawyers, choose the President. Ballots, not briefs, decide elections.
This lawsuit represents a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process. Sanctions are required to deter the filing of future frivolous lawsuits designed primarily to spread the narrative that our election processes are rigged and our democratic institutions cannot be trusted.
Contestants did not prove under any standard of proof that any illegal votes were cast and counted, or legal votes were not counted at all.
None of Trump's three Supreme Court appointees — Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett — indicated they saw any merit to the case. Even Justices Alito and Thomas, who said they would have allowed the filing, stated they "would not grant other relief."
The judge's message was clear: these lawsuits were filed not to win in court, but to undermine public trust in democracy.
Every Fraud Claim,
Exposed
Each conspiracy theory was investigated — often by Trump's own officials. Every single one collapsed under scrutiny.
Trump repeated this claim on the Raffensperger call and in public rallies. In Nevada, he claimed 1,506 dead voters.
In Nevada, his own researchers found approximately 20.
Trump, Giuliani, and Sidney Powell alleged Dominion software was designed to rig elections — claims broadcast by Fox News to millions of viewers.
Fox News paid $787.5 million to settle Dominion's defamation lawsuit — the largest known media settlement in U.S. history. Discovery revealed Fox hosts privately knew the claims were false while broadcasting them.
Giuliani alleged surveillance video showed secret suitcases of fraudulent ballots being counted after observers were dismissed.
Trump and allies alleged systemic fraud across six key states totaling 25.5 million votes.
Dinesh D'Souza's film alleged cellphone geolocation data proved a coordinated ballot-stuffing operation.
Barr's conclusion: "My opinion then and my opinion now is that the election was not stolen by fraud."
The narrative that voter fraud is widespread enough to swing elections.
Brennan Center analysis of that database: only 10 cases of in-person impersonation fraud at polls and 41 cases of non-citizens voting — over five decades. Voter fraud is, statistically, "less common than being struck by lightning."
Forging
Democracy
Trump and his allies organized groups of Republican officials in seven states to sign fraudulent electoral certificates — falsely claiming Trump won states he lost. The certificates were submitted to Congress and the National Archives to give Vice President Pence a pretext to block certification on January 6.
These fraudulent certificates were then submitted to Congress and the National Archives, using language virtually identical to legitimate electoral certificates. The goal: create the appearance of "competing slates" of electors to justify blocking certification.
Step 1: Submit fake certificates to create "competing slates"
Step 2: Pence announces "multiple slates of electors" on January 6
Step 3: Pence refuses to count Biden's legitimate electors
Step 4: Trump declared winner, or election thrown to the House
Pence's own counsel, Greg Jacob, testified there were not actually dual slates from any state. Eastman's entire premise was fabricated.
• Were not certified by any state governor
• Were not appointed by any state legislature
• Were not recognized by any state election authority
• Were not validated by any court
Five of seven state certificates used unconditional language — flatly stating the signatories were "duly elected and qualified" electors with no caveats. Only New Mexico and Pennsylvania included conditional language — which is precisely why prosecutions occurred in the other five states.
1. In Hawaii 1960, the margin was under 200 votes with an active recount. In 2020, Biden won each state by thousands to tens of thousands.
2. Five of seven certificates had no conditional language.
3. Eastman himself admitted in a December 19, 2020 email that the certificates had "no legal weight" and were "dead on arrival in Congress."
4. Kenneth Chesebro — the scheme's architect — pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit filing false documents, admitting the documents were false.
The Criminal
Statutes
The fake electors scheme violated multiple federal and state criminal statutes. Here are the specific laws and how they apply.
Maximum penalty: 5 years imprisonment.
Even after the Supreme Court narrowed this statute in Fischer v. United States (2024), legal analysts confirmed the fake elector scheme — involving creation of fraudulent documents — still falls squarely within scope.
Maximum penalty: 20 years imprisonment.
Unlike § 371, this statute does not require an overt act — the conspiracy itself is the crime.
Maximum penalty: 10 years imprisonment.
Maximum penalty: 5 years imprisonment.
Prosecuted in
Five States
Five states brought criminal charges against participants in the fake elector scheme.
4 co-conspirators pleaded guilty before the case was dismissed in November 2025 after DA Fani Willis was disqualified.
Wisconsin: 3 defendants (including Chesebro) charged with felony forgery. In December 2025, a judge ruled sufficient evidence existed to send the case to trial.
"Find Me
the Votes"
While the fake electors provided the mechanism, Trump personally pressured state officials, the Vice President, and the Department of Justice to overturn the results.
"I Just Want to Find
11,780 Votes"
Four days before January 6, Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a one-hour call — recorded and published by the Washington Post. On the call were Giuliani, Eastman, Mark Meadows, and several other Trump advisers.
I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state.
That's a criminal, that's a criminal offense. And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer.
We don't agree that you have won.
"You'll Go Down
as a Wimp"
Trump and John Eastman developed a plan requiring Vice President Pence to unilaterally reject legitimate electoral votes on January 6. When Pence refused, Trump escalated.
1. Pence opens ballots, starting with Alabama
2. At Arizona, announces "multiple slates of electors," sets aside disputed states
3. Continues through all states, setting aside seven
4. Announces Trump has 232 votes, Biden 222
5. Declares Trump re-elected
Eastman wrote: "Pence should do this without asking for permission — either from a vote of the joint session or from the Court."
"You'll go down as a wimp."
"If you do that, I made a big mistake 5 years ago."
"You're not protecting our country."
"You listen to the wrong people."
Ivanka Trump testified the call was "heated" and her father used a "different tone" than she'd heard before.
He concluded the Constitution gave him no power beyond counting the Electoral College votes. He told Trump:
"It doesn't take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law."
"Just Say It Was
Corrupt"
Trump pressured DOJ officials to declare the election corrupt — and when they refused, he nearly replaced the Acting Attorney General with a loyalist willing to do his bidding.
"Just say that the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen."
This quote comes from Donoghue's handwritten notes taken during the call. Trump also said: "We have an obligation to tell people that this was an illegal, corrupt election."
White House Counsel Pat Cipollone described Clark's plan as a "murder-suicide pact."
• Rosen, Donoghue, and Engel all threatened to resign
• Assistant AGs across the department said they would resign en masse
• Cipollone warned the plan was legally disastrous
• Donoghue told Trump that Clark "simply didn't have the skills, the ability and the experience"
Faced with the prospect of hundreds of resignations, Trump backed down — just hours before January 6.
After every legal avenue failed, after his own Attorney General called the claims "bullshit," after 86 judges rejected his cases, after his own lawyers refused to allege fraud under oath, after he tried to install a loyalist at the DOJ and was stopped only by a mass resignation threat, Donald Trump summoned thousands of supporters to Washington on the day Congress was to certify Biden's victory. He told them to march to the Capitol. Then he watched the resulting attack on television for 187 minutes while refusing calls to intervene.
During those 187 minutes, he did not call the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the National Guard, or any law enforcement agency. He did call Rudy Giuliani, and he did call members of Congress to urge them to continue objecting to certification. While the mob searched for Vice President Pence, Trump tweeted an attack on Pence, and the crowd chanted "Hang Mike Pence."
The
187 Minutes
After weeks of false claims, Trump summoned thousands to Washington. He told them to march to the Capitol. Then he watched the attack on television for over three hours while refusing calls to intervene.
January 6
Timeline
Giuliani Warms Up the Crowd
Rudy Giuliani addresses the rally at the Ellipse, declaring: 'Let's have trial by combat.'
Trump Begins Speaking
Trump tells the crowd: 'If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.' And: 'We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women... you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength.' He uses the phrase 'peacefully and patriotically' once, then spends roughly 50 more minutes amplifying false claims and attacking Pence.
Rioters Overrun First Barriers
Pro-Trump rioters, including members of the Proud Boys, overrun the first barriers outside the Capitol.
Trump Is Informed the Capitol Is Under Attack
Trump is told the Capitol has been breached. He goes to the White House dining room and watches the attack unfold on television.
Rioters Enter the Building
Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola uses a stolen police shield to break a window, allowing the first rioters to enter the Capitol building.
Pence Evacuated from Senate Chamber
Vice President Pence is evacuated. He comes within approximately one minute and 100 feet of being visible to rioters on a staircase.
Trump Attacks Pence — During the Attack
While Pence is in hiding and rioters are inside the Capitol, Trump tweets: 'Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.' This tweet is read aloud by rioters inside the Capitol. Crowds break into chants of 'Hang Mike Pence!'
Trump Refuses to Act for 187 Minutes
From approximately 1:10 PM to 4:17 PM, Trump watches the attack on television. He does not call the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or any law enforcement agency. He refuses repeated requests from family members, White House staff, Fox News hosts, and Republican members of Congress to tell the mob to go home.
Trump Finally Posts a Video
After 187 minutes, Trump posts a video telling supporters to leave. In it, he says: 'I know your pain. I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us... So go home. We love you. You are very special.' Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube remove the video for violating their policies.
What Trump Did Not Do
What Trump Did Do
The
Fallout
The attempt to overturn the 2020 election produced the largest criminal investigation in American history, destroyed careers, ended in guilty pleas, and left a trail of ruined lives.
The Largest Criminal Investigation
in U.S. History
People Charged
Federal criminal charges filed in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack — over 1,000 pleaded guilty.
Years in Prison
Combined sentences handed down to January 6 defendants before Trump's pardons wiped them away.
Officers Injured
Police officers physically injured — beaten with lead pipes, stun guns, flagpoles, and clubs. 15 hospitalized. Traumatic brain injuries, crushed spinal discs.
Lives Lost
4 rioters died on January 6. Officer Brian Sicknick died the next day after being assaulted with pepper spray. 4 officers who responded to the attack later died by suicide.
Convicted of
Trying to Overthrow
the Government
Leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy — one of the most serious charges in federal law, reserved for attempts to overthrow the government by force.
Kelly Meggs, Florida chapter leader: 12 years.
Both were released on January 21, 2025, after Trump commuted their sentences. Rhodes has said he is "rebuilding" the Oath Keepers.
All four convicted of seditious conspiracy on May 4, 2023. All released after Trump's January 20, 2025 clemency.
They Admitted
What They Did
Four of Trump's co-conspirators in the Georgia RICO case entered guilty pleas — admitting their roles in the effort to overturn the election.
In Their
Own Words
These are Trump's own lawyers and advisers, admitting in court that what they did was wrong.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges... I look back on this full experience with deep remorse.
[Admitted she] created and distributed false Electoral College documents working 'in coordination with' the Trump campaign.
[Admitted he] conspired to put forward fake GOP electors in Georgia with Trump, Giuliani, and Eastman.
$148 million verdict awarded to election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defamation ($75M punitive, $33M defamation, $40M emotional distress).
Filed for bankruptcy one week after the verdict. Surrendered his Manhattan apartment, luxury watches, and memorabilia.
Settled with Dominion Voting Systems in a separate defamation lawsuit.
The judge found Eastman "intentionally misled the courts by making voter fraud claims that he basically knew were bogus."
Disbarment recommendation affirmed by the State Bar Court Review Department in June 2025.
Election Workers
Under Siege
Trump and Giuliani's lies didn't just fail in court — they destroyed the lives of ordinary Americans who were doing their jobs.
Ruby Freeman &
Shaye Moss
Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss were Georgia election workers falsely accused by Trump and Giuliani of sneaking in fraudulent ballots. Their lives were upended.
There were a lot of threats, wishing death upon me, telling me that I'll be in jail with my mother and saying things like, 'Be glad it's 2020 and not 1920.'
There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere.
Money will never solve all my problems. I can never move back into the house that I call home. I will always have to be careful about where I go and who I choose to share my name with. I miss my home. I miss my neighbors and I miss my name.
45% say they fear for the safety of their colleagues.
At least 227 bomb threats targeted polling locations and election offices on and after Election Day 2024.
Election worker turnover reached 41% in 2024 — the highest in at least 25 years. The people who run our elections are being driven out.
69% of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was stolen (CNN, August 2023).
Among Americans who most trust far-right TV news: 92% believe it was stolen. Among Fox News viewers: 65%.
The belief has remained remarkably stable — roughly two-thirds of Republicans — despite zero evidence supporting it.
Pardoned.
Released.
Rearrested.
On his first day back in office, Trump granted blanket clemency to nearly everyone convicted in connection with January 6. Seditious conspiracy convicts walked free. Then came the rearrest reports.
Among those pardoned: 600+ convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers and 170 convicted of using a deadly weapon.
Note: Presidential pardons only apply to federal offenses. State prosecutions in Wisconsin and Nevada continue.
• 6 charged with child sex crimes
• 5 charged with illegal weapons possession
• 5 arrested for DUI (2 resulting in fatalities)
• Edward Kelley: sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy to murder federal employees
• Jake Lang: arrested for felony vandalism at the Minnesota State Capitol
Federal indictment (Jack Smith): Dismissed November 2024 — DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Georgia RICO case: Dismissed November 2025 after DA Willis was disqualified and the replacement prosecutor dropped it.
Jack Smith's final report stated the evidence was "sufficient to convict Trump" but for his election and return to the presidency.
"The election was not stolen. Trump lost it.
— William Barr, Trump's own Attorney General — 2022 memoir
62 lawsuits. 86 judges. Every recount. Every audit. Every guilty plea. Every sworn statement. The 2020 election was not stolen — and the attempt to steal it is the most documented political crime in American history.