The former president Trump spoke at the Freedom Summit in Florida, where he stated that his campaign won in all 50 states despite losing the elections and filing over 60 lawsuits to prove otherwise.
Trump’s baseless claims
Speaking at the event, held near Orlando, the 45th president said, “We won, the last time, 50 states, think of it, 50 states,” and continued, “We won every state. We then did great in the election. We got 12 million more votes or so … 12 million more votes than we got the first time.”
In reality, Trump lost the 2020 elections by seven millions, or 306 to 232 in the electoral college. But, Trump refuses to admit defeat, even three years later, so he told the gatherers, “The whole thing is a lie … the whole election is a lie.”
Interestingly enough, Trump did not win the popular vote in 2016, when Hillary Clinton beat him by three million voters. In the 2020 elections, President Biden flipped Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, which got him 74 electoral votes.
Other GOP nominees also spoke at the event
Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, the Republican nominees who publicly criticized Trump over his election claims and riots on January 6, were booed.
The Arkansas governor, who is a federal prosecutor and lawyer, said at the summit, “There is a significant likelihood that Donald Trump will be found guilty by a jury on a felony offense next year.” Hutchinson continued, “That may or may not happen before you vote [in the Republican primaries] in March, and it might not make any difference to you, but it will make a difference for our chances to attract independent voters in November.”
Hutchinson added, “While some will ignore the destructive behavior of the former president, I assure you, we ignore it at our own peril..” Christie was direct since he and Trump have a long history and were friends at some point. The former New Jersey governor was also heckled, but it did not stop him from spreading his message.
Christie’s speech at the summit
Christie told gatherers, “We deserve, once again, a better character in the White House than what we’ve had from the last three presidents.” He then told the crowd, “Every one of those boos, every one of those cat calls, and every one of those yells will not solve one problem we face in this country and will not make this country [better]. Your anger against the truth is reprehensible.”
Despite numerous Republican warnings that Trump, who faces four indictments, including two for an alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election, FiveThirtyEight reported that he has the support of over 58 percent of Republican voters. Hutchinson and Christie are polling below three percent. DeSantis has 14 percent, a significant drop for the Florida governor, who was branded as Trump’s biggest threat in the primaries.
Trump’s legal troubles and things to come
The former president faces 91 criminal charges across four indictments. The two are related to alleged election interference, one in D.C. and another in Georgia. The first trial, in D.C., was set to start on March 4, 2024. However, there are some reports the trial could begin before that date, though nothing was confirmed.
Trump’s attorney, John Lauro, said in July to Fox News, “Let’s have cameras in the courtroom so all Americans can see what’s happening in our criminal justice system.” Trump’s legal team did not make further comments about the cameras in the courtroom yet. Still, Jack Smith’s team disagrees, arguing that broadcasting could be dangerous to witnesses and could intimidate jurors.
Trump is currently in New York, where he is on trial in a business fraud case brought on by AG Laetitia James. Trump’s oldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric Trump, have already testified, while his daughter, Ivanka, is expected to testify in the upcoming days. Despite numerous legal troubles, the former president is campaigning in full force, though with some missteps, like claims he beat Obama or that Victor Orban is the Prime Minister of Turkey.
Kate Smith, a self-proclaimed word nerd who relishes the power of language to inform, entertain, and inspire. Kate's passion for sharing knowledge and sparking meaningful conversations fuels her every word.