Trump Floats Baseless Conspiracy Theory About ‘Very Strange’ Ballot Dumps As Michigan, Wisconsin Tilt Blue

Topline

President Trump floated a conspiracy theory—without evidence—Wednesday morning that mail-in ballots were purposely stacked against him in several key states as overnight results showed the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania slipping from his grasp, an indication the president is laying the groundwork to challenge election results he doesn’t like.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 04: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on election night in the East Room … [+] of the White House in the early morning hours of November 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump spoke shortly after 2am with the presidential race against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden still too close to call. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Getty Images Key Facts

“Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled,” the president wrote on Twitter about incomplete election results from earlier in the chaotic night.

Then, the president claims, “very strange” ballot dumps caused several key states to “magically disappear,” even though election experts have cautioned for months that early results in several states would skew Republican because of delays in counting mail-in ballots, which lean heavily Democratic.

Twitter flagged the tweet for spreading content about the election that is “dispute” or “misleading.”

In a follow-up tweet, Trump questioned the mail-ballot phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the “red mirage,” saying: “How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?”

What To Watch For

Biden has taken a narrow lead in Michigan and Wisconsin as of Wednesday morning, but both races have yet to be called. There are still 1.4 million mail ballots left to count in Pennsylvania, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman said on Fox News Wednesday.

Key Background

For weeks, Trump has wrongly railed against the vote by mail process as rife with fraud, refused repeatedly to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, and argued we must get the results of the election on the night of Election Day—in an effort to stymie mail ballot counting—falsely claiming “that’s the way it’s been.”

Surprising Fact

Twitter has flagged three out of five Trump tweets since midnight Wednesday for spreading misinformation.

Crucial Quote

“WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?” Trump said in another tweet Wednesday morning, more directly raising a conspiracy theory—without hard evidence—about mail ballots purposely slated against him.

Further Reading

Twitter Flags Trump Tweet Baselessly Accusing Biden Of Trying To ‘Steal The Election’ (Forbes)