The latest reports reveal that former U.S. President Donald Trump exerted personal pressure on Republican officials in the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
What Happened: Trump directly intervened in a phone call on Nov. 17, 2020, urging Republican board members to reject the certification, according to recordings reviewed by The Detroit News.
The phone call also involved Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee Chairwoman. Trump warned the board members that certifying the results would reflect poorly on them and called for them to “fight for our country.”
Republican officials Monica Palmer and William Hartmann initially declined to sign the certification, but they later endorsed it in the same meeting. They attempted to retract their votes the following day, claiming they were coerced into certification, but were unsuccessful.
An email sent by Benzinga to Donald Trump and the GOP seeking comment didn’t elicit any response till the time of publishing this story.
Why It Matters: This new evidence underscores Trump’s active role in attempting to invalidate Joe Biden‘s election win. The ex-president is currently facing four counts of criminal conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and its voters of a fair election result. Trump’s actions could have potentially compromised Michigan’s statewide certification of the 2020 election results.
These revelations come at a time when Trump’s popularity has been surging in recent polls, with voters expressing concerns about President Biden’s ability to complete a second term. Trump has now overtaken Biden in a hypothetical rematch of the 2020 election, securing 45% of voter support compared to Biden’s 43%.
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