Claim:
In the 2020 election, Donald Trump received more votes than any other Republican candidate or sitting president before him.
Rating:
True ( About this rating? )
Context:
Trump received 74.2 million votes in the 2020 election. However, Joe Biden received 81.2 million votes and won that election.
During the Sept. 10, 2024 presidential debate , former President Donald Trump claimed that he received more votes in the 2020 presidential election than any other candidate in his situation ever had:
"I got more votes than any Republican in history by far. In fact, I got more votes than any president, sitting president in history by far."
Both claims — that he received more votes than any other Republican or any other sitting president — were true.
Trump has repeatedly used these claims as supposed evidence that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged" against him.
According to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) report on the 2020 elections, Trump received 74.2 million votes in the 2020 election. Comparing those numbers to previous elections , Trump's claim stands. Prior to 2020, no candidate had ever received more than 70 million votes.
However, Trump's 74.2 million votes from 2020 is also 7 million votes less than Joe Biden's 81.2 million. According to the FEC report, Biden earned 51.31% of the popular vote to Trump's 46.85%, and Biden's 81.2 million votes are the most ever cast for a presidential candidate.
Since Biden won the electoral college (he earned 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232), he won the 2020 election. The results of the election were certified by Congress.
Sources:
"AP FACT CHECK: Trump Clings to Bevy of Bogus Election Claims." AP News, 29 Nov. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-bogus-election-claims-3d34646b34316d2f96f9ae5a267a3303 .
Doan, Laura, et al. Fact Checking Debate Claims from Trump and Harris' 2024 Presidential Faceoff - CBS News. 11 Sept. 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-harris-abc-debate-fact-check/ .
Historical U.S. Presidential Election Results | Britannica. 23 July 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-States-Presidential-Election-Results-1788863 .
Leamon, Eileen J., and Jason Bucelato. FEDERAL ELECTIONS 2020 Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Federal Elections Commission, https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/federalelections2020.pdf .
News, A. B. C. "READ: Harris-Trump Presidential Debate Transcript." ABC News, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/harris-trump-presidential-debate-transcript/story?id=113560542 . Accessed 11 Sept. 2024.
Remarks by President Trump on the Election – The White House. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-election/ . Accessed 11 Sept. 2024.
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