By Ginika Igboke
President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested in recent interviews that new revelations about alleged improprieties in the 2020 presidential election will soon be made public, describing the evidence as extensive and definitive.
Speaking at a White House Christmas reception on Dec. 14, Trump reiterated his claim that the election was improperly conducted and said supporting materials would be released in large volumes.
“The election was rigged in 2020. We have all the ammunition, all the stuff, and you’ll see it come out. It’s coming out in truckloads,” he said.
Trump focused particular criticism on California, questioning the security of the state’s practice of mailing ballots to all active registered voters.
“They mail out 38 million ballots, and they come in,” he said. “Where do they go and where do they come from?”
He argued that his electoral gains among Hispanic voters in 2024—particularly in Florida and along southern Texas—suggest he should have performed similarly in California. His failure to carry the state, Trump said, pointed to problems in the election process.
“It’s a rigged election in California, because we would win California by a lot,” he said. “They think they have the advantage with Hispanic voters. They don’t, because I won the Hispanic vote.”
Trump made similar remarks several days earlier during a Dec. 9 interview with Politico’s Dasha Burns, again promising that evidence would soon emerge.
“It was a rigged election. Now everyone knows it,” Trump said. “It’s going to come out over the next couple of months—loud and clear—because we have all the information.”
The 2020 election, conducted amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, generated widespread allegations of fraud and unlawful conduct. The Trump campaign pursued numerous legal challenges, but none resulted in overturned election outcomes, with many cases dismissed on procedural grounds.
In 2023, Trump was charged following an FBI investigation initiated during the Biden administration and later overseen by special counsel Jack Smith. The charges centered on Trump’s efforts to contest the election results, including the organization of alternative slates of electors. Smith later dropped the case after Trump won the 2024 election, citing the long-standing policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
According to documents released in October by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), prosecutors in the case issued sealed subpoenas to more than 400 conservative organizations and individuals, including elected officials. The documents were made public through whistleblower disclosures.
Grassley also released internal FBI communications in July indicating that, prior to the 2020 election, intelligence from an informant alleging the shipment of tens of thousands of counterfeit driver’s licenses from China was withheld. The intelligence was initially reported by the FBI’s Albany field office in September 2020 but was later recalled at the direction of FBI headquarters and never reissued. Emails showed concerns that releasing the information could conflict with congressional testimony by then-FBI Director Christopher Wray.
In March, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to ensure states properly verify voter eligibility, including citizenship status. The order also instructed the Department of Justice to collect voter fraud data from states and prioritize investigations in jurisdictions that decline to cooperate.
The directive further called on the department to take “all necessary action” to enforce laws prohibiting the counting of ballots received after Election Day.
Since May, the Justice Department has sent formal requests to states seeking voter registration data to review the accuracy of voter rolls. The department is currently suing at least 18 states that have refused to provide the information.
Beyond allegations of fraud, Trump and his allies have pointed to other factors they say influenced the 2020 election, including pandemic-related changes to election rules and a letter signed by more than 50 former intelligence officials that characterized reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop as possible “Russian disinformation.”
Some polling has suggested that a decisive minority of voters might have reconsidered their choice had they been aware of the laptop story before casting their ballots.
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