Donald Trump Jr. was proposing ways to overturn 2020 election before Biden even won, text reveals


Texts obtained by CNN reveal that Donald Trump Jr. texted former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows two days after the 2020 presidential election, before results were finalized, and laid out "ideas for keeping his father in power by subverting the Electoral College process," CNN reports.
The text message from the former president's eldest son, which has not been previously reported, is among the documents obtained by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
"It's very simple," Trump Jr. reportedly texted Meadows on Nov. 5. "We have multiple paths We control them all," he added later.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A statement from Trump Jr.'s lawyer says that "given the date," the message "likely originated from someone else and was forwarded."
In his message, Trump Jr. "outlines a strategy that is nearly identical to what allies of the former president attempted to carry out in the months that followed," CNN writes. For instance, he reportedly references lawsuits, swing state recounts, and suggests having Republican statehouses push fake "Trump electors."
And if none of that worked, Trump Jr. went on, "we have operational control" in Congress, he said, meaning the Republican majority could simply vote to reinstate Trump as president during the certification process on Jan. 6.
The message to Meadows is significant in a variety of ways, CNN explains. Importantly, "it shows how those closest to the former president were already exchanging ideas for how to overturn the election months before the January 6 insurrection – and before all the votes were even counted." Joe Biden was declared the winner on Nov. 7, two days after Trump Jr.'s message.
The text also "adds to a growing body of evidence of how Trump's inner circle was actively engaged in discussing how to challenge the election results," CNN writes. Read more at CNN.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
The Pentagon's missing missiles
Feature The U.S. military is low on weapons. Can it restock before a major conflict breaks out?
-
Rescissions: Trump's push to control federal spending
Feature The GOP passed a bill to reduce funding for PBS, NPR and other public media stations
-
Knives come out for Pam Bondi
IN THE SPOTLIGHT She wasn't Trump's first pick to lead the Justice Department. After months of scandals and setbacks, is the attorney general's MAGA shelf life winding down?
-
Can Gaza aid drops work?
Today's Big Question UN's Palestinian refugee agency calls plan a 'distraction and smokescreen' as pressure mounts on Israel to agree ceasefire and fully open land crossings
-
'Spending is what card issuers are hoping you will do'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied