President Trump reportedly told the Senate a totally bananas lie about voter fraud
President Trump reportedly spent a meeting with 10 senators on Thursday complaining about voter fraud. The gathering was intended to be a discussion about Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Politico reported that as soon as reporters exited the room, Trump began telling the group of senators how both he and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) — who lost her re-election bid and is now serving as a Capitol Hill liaison for Trump on Gorsuch's nomination — were victims of a rigged election. Ayotte was in the room, as was White House Counsel Don McGahn.
Trump obviously won the election, but he narrowly lost New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton. He told senators Thursday that was because of the "thousands" of people "brought in on buses" from Massachusetts to "illegally vote" in New Hampshire. The room reportedly responded with an "uncomfortable silence."
Trump indicated that this voter fraud, of which there is no evidence, had also affected Ayotte, though he suggested her loss might have also had something to do with her decision to distance herself from him after he criticized the parents of a Muslim Gold Star soldier. "He told her, 'You'd have won if you'd been on my train," a participant told Politico.
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.
Then, as the cherry on top of that crumbling cake, Trump told Democrats he was glad "Pocahontas" — his chosen nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — was "becoming the face of 'your party,'" Politico reported.
Trump has repeatedly claimed millions voted illegally in the presidential election, causing him to lose the popular vote to Clinton, but he has yet to produce any evidence to substantiate those claims.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Did Alex Pretti’s killing open a GOP rift on guns?Talking Points Second Amendment groups push back on the White House narrative
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story