2020 U.S. Election Fraud Claims

Claim: The 2020 U.S. presidential election was "stolen" from Donald Trump through massive, coordinated voter fraud involving rigged voting machines (notably Dominion Voting Systems), fraudulent mail-in ballots, and dead voters casting ballots.

Origins: Promoted by President Trump and allies immediately following the election, spreading through press conferences, social media, and partisan media outlets.

Why it's false: Over 60 lawsuits challenging the results were filed in state and federal courts, including by judges appointed by Trump himself; nearly all were dismissed for lack of evidence. Multiple state audits and recounts (including hand recounts in Georgia) confirmed the original results. Trump's own Department of Justice, cybersecurity officials (CISA), and numerous state election officials from both parties stated they found no evidence of fraud on a scale that would change the outcome. Dominion Voting Systems won substantial defamation settlements against media outlets that had aired the false claims.

Impact: Directly cited as motivation for the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot; contributed to a lasting decline in public trust in U.S. election administration among a significant share of voters.