Trump Claims ‘Millions and Millions’ of Popular Votes in Rambling Speech on Investments and Elections
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President-elect Donald Trump took to the stage Tuesday to announce foreign investments in the United States but veered off-script, delving into a wide range of unrelated topics, including gas heaters, windmills, the Panama Canal, and the U.S. electoral system.
In a moment that drew significant attention, Trump falsely claimed, “We won the popular vote by millions and millions of people. Nobody even knows how many people.” The Associated Press, however, reported the official tally as 77,303,573 votes for Trump and 75,019,257 for Kamala Harris.
Trump doubled down on his remarks, adding, “And they’re still counting in some areas. You know they’re still counting the vote in some areas?” While his comments about ongoing vote counts sparked confusion, CBS News clarified that all states are required to certify their results by specific deadlines.
Most states have constitutionally mandated timelines, with the latest being Oregon’s December 12 deadline. States without specified deadlines, such as Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, must still submit their certified results to Congress by January 6 for the official certification process.
Trump used the opportunity to criticize the current electoral process, stating, “Can you believe this? What a place. What a horrible place. One of the things we’re going to do is we’ve got to fix the election so we get honest counts, and they get done by 10 in the evening or something thereabouts. There are places where they’re still counting votes.”
The remarks are consistent with Trump’s repeated challenges to election procedures, despite there being no evidence of widespread irregularities in the 2020 election. His suggestion to impose stricter deadlines for vote counting is likely to reignite debates over voter accessibility versus expediency.
While the event was intended to focus on Trump’s plans to attract foreign investments, his off-topic remarks overshadowed the announcement, drawing criticism from political analysts and sparking media debate. His claims about the popular vote and vote counting deadlines were quickly fact-checked, underscoring his continued tendency to spread misinformation about the electoral process.
As Trump prepares to assume office, his rhetoric on election integrity and broad-ranging speeches reflect his unorthodox communication style, which remains a defining feature of his political persona. Whether these remarks will impact his administration’s ability to engage with Congress and implement his policies remains to be seen.
