Republican reactions to Donald Trump's claims of 2020 election fraud

This article is about the reactions of prominent members and leaders of the Republican Party to Donald Trump's 2020 election fraud claims. For these election fraud claims themselves, see Post-election lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election and Disputes surrounding the 2020 United States presidential election results.

Members of the US Republican Party have reacted differently to Republican President Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 United States presidential election, with few publicly denouncing them and many publicly supporting them, while many others remained silent. Trump falsely claimed to have won the election, and made many false and unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. By December 5, only 27 out of 249 Republicans in Congress had acknowledged Biden as the winner of the election. By December 2, over three weeks after Joe Biden's victory speech, most of the Republican members of Congress who commented on the presidential election still sided with Trump. By December 11, 126 out of 196 Republican members of the House backed a lawsuit filed in the United States Supreme Court supported by nineteen Republican state attorneys general seeking to subvert the election and overturn the election results. Sixty-eight percent of respondents who identified as Republicans in a Fox News poll said they believed the election was stolen from Trump. A December 2020 poll showed 77% of Republicans believe widespread fraud occurred during the election. 35% of independent voters also said they believe widespread voter fraud took place.

Background

Summary

From six months before, during, and after the 2020 United States elections, most notably during a speech he held late on November 5, President Donald Trump, who was running for re-election on the Republican Party ticket, suggested and claimed that large-scale electoral fraud would happen, was happening or had happened, to the effect that would make him lose his presidential re-election. In the days after Election Day November 3, 2020, Trump also demanded that the vote counting be stopped in some swing states (Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina), where he was slowly losing his lead to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, until Republican observers could meaningfully observe and challenge the vote counting process. Concurrently, Trump demanded that the vote counting be continued in the swing state of Arizona, where he was catching up on Biden. Several prominent members of his Republican Party, including recently elected or former officials, have denounced Trump's claims of election fraud before, during, and after the 2020 United States elections as unsubstantiated, baseless or without evidence, as well as damaging to the election process, undermining democracy and dangerous to political stability. In one case, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives referred to the totality of Trump's actions as an attempted coup d'état.

Before Election Day

Months before Election Day, Democrats regularly condemned President Trump's suggestions that widespread electoral fraud would occur (especially through the use of mail-in ballots, a claim Trump first made on April 7, 2020,), but Republicans rarely did. Attempts by Politico to obtain comments from prominent Republicans on the issue mostly failed; Miles Taylor (former Homeland Security chief of staff of Secretary and author of "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration") and Michael Steele (former chairman of the Republican National Committee) were among the few they could find expressing serious concerns about Trump's comments. Politico stated on the morning of November 3 that '[m]any Republicans insist they are disgusted by Trump's threats, they just aren't willing to say so publicly.'

November 4: counting transparency

After Election Day, in the afternoon of November 4, the Trump campaign sued Michigan and Pennsylvania, alleging that they were not being given proper access to monitoring the vote counting process, and demanded the counting had to stop. The Trump team declared that they had already won the state of Pennsylvania at a moment when Trump was leading by 320,000 votes, but only 85% of the votes had been counted, and it was known that the vote counting in the city of Philadelphia could still tip the balance in favor of Biden. Eric Trump alleged that 'the Democrats' would try to 'cheat in Pennsylvania'. However, Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, who oversaw the city's counting and was himself a Republican, rejected claims that the process lacked transparency, as observers were able to see everything that was happening in the counting hall.

November 5: Trump speech alleging electoral fraud

Donald Trump's November 5 speech alleging large-scale electoral fraud is at the core of the controversy.

According to CNBC, there was mostly silence within the Republican Party shortly after Trump's speech from the White House late at night on November 5. Rick Santorum, Ben Sasse, Mitt Romney, Larry Hogan, and Chris Christie were among the first Republicans to criticize the President's remarks as indefensible. Combined with a statement from Nikki Haley that some deemed to concede Trump's defeat, several Republicans including Trump's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump rebuked other Republicans for staying silent and not supporting the President's allegations of electoral fraud. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on November 5, only about 30% of Republican Americans believed that Trump had won the election; the vast majority of Americans, including most Republicans, believed Biden had.

November 6: critics and loyalists

Some Trump loyalists such as Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Kevin McCarthy endorsed the false claims that Trump had actually won the election and that there was large-scale fraud, and called on Republicans to stay united behind Trump. Over 20 other leading Republicans denounced Trump's accusations of voter fraud on November 6. Some observers concluded that statements denouncing or supporting Trump's claims were (also) part of a conflict inside the Republican Party over who should be their nominee for the 2024 presidential election, and whether to continue or discontinue Trumpist politics.

November 7: Several Republicans congratulate Biden while others refuse

On November 7, most major American news networks called the election a victory for Biden when vote-counting in Pennsylvania and Nevada reached the point where he would certainly receive the 270 electors' votes needed for the presidency. The Trump campaign refused to concede defeat and instead asserted that 'the election was far from over.' Several leading Republicans including former 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney, Larry Hogan, John Kasich, Phil Scott, Adam Kinzinger, Will Hurd, Paul Mitchell, Fred Upton, Lamar Alexander, Tom Reed, and Jeb Bush, proceeded to congratulate Biden as the new President-elect (and Kamala Harris as Vice President-elect) of the United States; others such as Josh Hawley and Paul Gosar insisted that the election was not over yet until 'all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed'. Just before the media called the election, re-elected Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw tweeted 'If Trump loses, he loses. It was never an impossible outcome and we must accept the final results when it is over', to which newly elected Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (a QAnon conspiracy theory supporter) responded, "The time to STAND UP for (President Donald Trump) is RIGHT NOW. Republicans can't back down." Crenshaw criticized her for trying to 'talk tough' and said: 'You're a member of Congress now, Marjorie. Start acting like one,' while stressing that any irregularity should be addressed.

November 8: George W. Bush congratulates Biden and Harris

George W. Bush: '(...) this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear.'

On November 8, former President George W. Bush (2001–2009), the previous Republican president, congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris by phone, and said in a statement: 'The American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear.' He further stated: 'The President-elect reiterated that while he ran as a Democrat, he will govern for all Americans. I offered him the same thing I offered presidents Trump and Obama: my prayers for his success, and my pledge to help in any way I can.' While congratulating Trump 'on a hard-fought campaign' and saying he 'has the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges,' Bush stated the election's outcome was clearly in Biden's favor. According to Forbes, 'most Trump allies and congressional Republicans' had by then either stayed silent or explicitly refused to congratulate Biden and Harris, but the number of Republicans who did was growing. After Bush's declaration, Trump ally Chris Christie stepped up the pressure on Trump to provide evidence of electoral fraud if he wanted Republicans to support his cause: 'If your basis for not conceding is [because] there was voter fraud, then show us. Because if you don't show us, we can't do this. We can't back you blindly without evidence.' CNN claimed two sources had said Trump's son-in-law and Director of the Office of American Innovation Jared Kushner had urged the President to accept the loss, while a third, separate source alleged that First Lady Melania Trump had tried to convince her husband as well. Roy Blunt repeated his earlier statement that Trump had been making baseless claims and that 'it's time for the president's lawyers to present the facts', but when asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos, he refused to acknowledge for the time being that Biden had won; Pat Toomey took a similar but softer stance. Kristi Noem, on the other hand, pushed the narrative of widespread fraud, but was unable to present evidence when pressed by Stephanopoulos.

November 9: Trump campaign announces legal challenges

See also: Lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election and List of lawsuits involving Donald Trump § Trump 2020 Campaign-related lawsuits by state

At the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, the Trump campaign team had announced it would formally present several legal challenges against the election process and results on Monday, November 9, refusing to concede the Biden/Harris victory. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, senior officials, campaign aides and allies said that '[t]he strategy to wage a legal fight against the votes tallied for Biden in Pennsylvania and other places is more to provide Trump with an off-ramp for a loss he can't quite grasp and less about changing the election's outcome.' Some of them even had 'deep reservations about the president's attempts to undermine faith in the vote.' Similarly, The Washington Post reported on Monday that '[b]ehind the scenes, Trump advisers and allies are increasingly resigned to a Biden victory, according to people familiar with internal discussions, who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private conversations.'

In response, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that "President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options." Texas senator John Cornyn and Iowa senator Chuck Grassley were among the Republicans who said that they hadn't yet seen any evidence of widespread voting fraud that could change the election, while saying the President had the right to legally investigate allegations of fraud. Close Trump ally Graham also referred to minor incidents that he admitted wouldn't yet change the election result, and said he would accept a loss in the courts.

That same day, ABC News noted that actually very few members of the Trump administration and White House staff itself had so far explicitly supported Trump's claims of electoral fraud, or asserted that he won the election; Vice President Mike Pence only went so far as tweeting he stood by President Trump in saying that every legal vote should be counted, and otherwise remained silent. Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan of the key swing state of Georgia stated: 'We've not had any sort of credible incidents [of widespread systemic voter fraud or irregularities] raised to our level yet.' At a press conference, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany accused Democrats of encouraging fraud and illegal voting. Notably, Fox News decided to cut away during her speech because host Neil Cavuto found it irresponsible to continue broadcasting such 'an explosive charge'. Previously, Fox News had continuously aired most of President Trump's press conferences and rallies, regardless of the false claims he made during his speeches.

In a highly contentious move, U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who had previously supported Trump's unfounded claims about voter fraud, authorized the investigation of alleged voting irregularities before the states had certified the election results, prompting Richard Pilger, director of the elections crimes branch in the Justice Department, to resign in protest. Pilger stated that Barr's action was 'abrogating the forty-year-old Non-Interference Policy for ballot fraud investigations in the period prior to elections becoming certified and uncontested'.

Meanwhile, Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler from Georgia demanded Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to resign for '[failing] to deliver honest and transparent elections' after his voting system manager, Gabriel Sterling (a lifelong Republican), called the claims of electoral fraud 'hoaxes and nonsense', 'fake news' and 'disinformation' in a Monday morning press conference, but Raffensperger (also a Republican) rejected the demand outright, adding that any incidents of voter fraud were unlikely to tip the balance of Biden's lead of more than 12,000 votes (0.25%) towards Trump for Georgia's 16 electors. He called Perdue and Loeffler's claim of lack of transparency 'laughable'.

November 10: Pompeo rejects Biden's victory while other Republicans privately acknowledge

Mike Pompeo: 'There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration'.

On November 10, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sparked outrage among diplomats when he told journalists during a press conference that there would be a 'smooth transition to a second Trump administration', because he was confident that the vote counting would still result in a Trump victory. John Bolton, National Security Advisor in the Trump administration from 2018 to 2019, who had already denounced Trump's fraud claims days earlier, was highly critical of Pompeo's remarks, saying he had 'eviscerated his credibility' and was 'delusional'. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Coons from Delaware told CNN that several Republican senators had privately acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden's victory to him in phone calls, asking him 'to convey their well-wishes to the President-elect', but they weren't yet willing to do so publicly themselves. At that point, four Republican senators had publicly recognized Biden, and Coons expected others to follow that week.

An inquiry from The New York Times showed that throughout the country, election officials representing both parties reported no evidence of significant voter fraud, even though some Republican candidates running for office were casting doubt on the results without proof. Republican officials criticized unsupported allegations, with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose stating: 'There's a great human capacity for inventing things that aren't true about elections. The conspiracy theories and rumors and all those things run rampant.' Kansas Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab wrote in an email: 'Kansas did not experience any widespread, systematic issues with voter fraud, intimidation, irregularities or voting problems.' Republican Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman determined the election was free of fraud. Her assessment was rebuked by Republican candidate Loren Culp, who lost his gubernatorial race against Democrat Jay Inslee by a large margin of 14%, leading Wyman to say: 'It's just throwing grass at the fence at this point, see what sticks.' Republican Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton tweeted: 'I have supported you, Mr. President. @realDonaldTrump accomplished some incredible things during your time in office! But that time is now over! Tip your hat, bite your lip, and congratulate @JoeBiden.'

November 11: Senior Republicans call on Trump to concede

On November 11, Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich, a Republican, stated that he had not found any evidence of significant fraud that could change the outcome of that state's result. He said it was 'very, highly unlikely' that Trump would receive enough votes from the last remaining uncounted ballots to beat Biden's 13,000 vote lead, and thus obtain Arizona's 11 electors. Even without these, Biden would still have 279 electors, enough to gain the presidency with a large margin. Meanwhile, pressure was mounting on Trump to concede defeat: most foreign heads of state or government had already congratulated President-elect Biden, who a day earlier had labeled Trump's refusal to concede 'an embarrassment'. Senior Republicans who had already acknowledged the Democratic nominee's victory were publicly calling on the President to do the same, with former Defense Secretary and former US Senator from Maine William Cohen describing Trump's behavior as 'more akin to a dictatorship than a democracy'. Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said: 'I think it's hyperbole beyond expectation or credibility to say that somebody 'stole the election'; they didn't.' He said he was addressing the president, but also trying to give 'Republicans who know this, but are afraid to say it, permission to say it', and urged people close to the President to 'tell him the truth, polish our democracy, and polish his legacy,' 'recognize reality', and begin the transition to prevent security risks.

Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker commented: 'I'm dismayed to hear the baseless claims from the president, from his team, and from many other elected Republican officials in Washington. I can't think of a worse time to stall a transition than amid a deadly pandemic.' Maryland governor Larry Hogan added: 'Most people realize that this election is over. It's really dangerous, I think, in the middle of this pandemic, this economic collapse, people dying across the country, to not know if we're going to have a transition.' An editorial in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson who had supported the Trump campaign with over 75 million dollars, wrote: 'The president does a disservice to his more rabid supporters by insisting that he would have won the Nov 3 election absent voter fraud. That's simply false.'

Senate Ethics Committee Chair James Lankford, a Republican Senator from Oklahoma, demanded the Trump administration to give President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris access to the President's Daily Brief, the daily presidential intelligence briefings on national security issues. Lankford took the pragmatic position of not yet acknowledging Biden and Harris as elects while Trump's legal challenges were ongoing, but recognized they would form the next administration if the lawsuits failed, and said they needed to be informed about the country's pressing security issues to be prepared before taking office. This practice during the presidential lame duck period was long established, even during the contested 2000 presidential election, Lankford argued, warning he would intervene if the Trump administration would not grant Biden/Harris access by the end of the week.

November 12: 'Most secure election in American history'

Chris Krebs: '[Don't share] baseless claims about voting machines, even if they're made by the president'. Trump fired Krebs days later.

On November 12, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, published a statement saying 'The November 3 election was the most secure in American history,' and that it had found 'no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.' It was the first time that an entire agency – one which Trump had in fact created in 2018 – within the Trump administration contradicted the President's claims of widespread fraud and irregularities.

The Trump-appointed Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Christopher C. Krebs, had already been at odds with President Trump over creating a website that sought to debunk election-related disinformation, while a lot of such disinformation was being spread by Trump himself and other Republican Party leaders. He therefore expected to be fired by the President soon for disloyalty, as many other officials had been in preceding days due to conflicts with Trump over the election and other issues. Nevertheless, he persisted in leading his agency's efforts in combating what he saw as dangerous nonsense, hoaxes and conspiracy theories such as 'wild and baseless claims about voting machines, even if they're made by the president'. Trump fired Krebs on November 17.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu insisted there was no fraud in his state and congratulated Biden as President-elect, bringing the number of Republican governors denouncing Trump's claims to 5 out of 26. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine then did the same, becoming the 6th. That same day, 161 former national security officials, who served in Democratic or Republican administrations (including the Trump administration), signed a letter urging the General Services Administration (GSA) to recognize Joe Biden as president-elect, as further delaying the acknowledgement posed 'serious risk to national security.'

November 13: Trump suffers legal setbacks

On November 13, the Trump campaign suffered three defeats in Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania related to his challenges against the electoral process. Spokesperson Tim Murtaugh repeated claims about voting machine irregularities in Maricopa County, but the Trump team dropped its lawsuit because Biden's overall lead in Arizona was too large for the disputed ballots to make a difference. That same day, several law firms including Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, Jones Day (which had supported Trump in over 20 cases in 4 years) and Snell & Wilmer that had been representing the Trump campaign or the Republican Party in some of its legal complaints withdrew their support, commenting that the President's objections were pointless, and they did not wish to legitimize his arguments anymore. Jones Day lawyer Parker A. Rider-Longmaid stated: "I believe the question is whether this firm should lend its prestige and credibility to the project of an administration bent on undermining our democracy and our rule of law." The Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans, had been publicly urging employees of Jones Day and Porter Wright to resign in protest in the preceding days. President Trump himself reportedly also came close to conceding defeat by admitting that he may not be leading the next administration, during an interview on the new COVID-19 surge, saying: 'I will not go – this administration will not be going to a lockdown. Hopefully the – whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration will be. I guess time will tell. But I can tell you this administration will not go to a lockdown.'

November 14: Trump criticizes Republican officials dismissing fraud

On November 14, President Trump vehemently criticized Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for dismissing claims of fraud, labeling him 'a so-called Republican (RINO)', accusing him of obstructing investigations into fraud, even though Raffensperger said the investigations were still ongoing 'but we have not seen something widespread'. In response to pressure to follow Trump's narrative, Raffensperger stated: 'People are just going to have to accept the results. I'm a Republican. I believe in fair and secure elections.' His comments were supported by Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan. Trump also attacked Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt as a 'so-called Republican (RINO)', alleging he 'refused to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty.' Schmidt had called some of Trump's claims "fantastical" and "completely ridiculous allegations that have no basis in fact at all." Similarly, Republican election officials in the Dauphin and Cumberland counties refuted presidential claims of voter fraud.

Meanwhile, Republican Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons rejected Trump's claims that the voting system was unreliable, saying it had been used before by the Michigan Repubican Party; she added: 'I am 100% confident in the results in Kent County, and I'm confident that our canvass, once its all concluded, will validate that.' Barbara Cegavske, the Nevada Secretary of State and also a Republican, declared that '[m]any voter fraud complaints lack any evidence and are more complaints about process or policy'.

November 15: confusion about partial concession

On November 15, retweeting a Fox News video that claimed fraud, Trump wrote about Biden: 'He won because the election was rigged', repeating a number of claims that have been generally dismissed as baseless. Nevertheless, several analysts and commentators regarded this statement as a partial concession or the start of a concession on the part of the incumbent president. While asserting Trump would remain influential within the Republican Party for some time, Republican Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson told NBC: 'It was good actually to see President Trump tweet out that 'he won'. I think that's a start of an acknowledgment'. Trump responded: 'He only won in the eyes of the fake news media. I concede nothing!'

November 19: Biden/Harris host bipartisan governor conference

Sixteen days into Trump's refusal to concede, the Biden/Harris Transitional Team hosted a conference call on how to deal with COVID-19 with ten governors, five of whom were Republicans: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, and Utah Governor Gary Herbert. President-elect Biden stressed the importance of bipartisanship, expressed hope for arriving at a consensus with 'Republican colleagues', and criticized General Services Administrator Emily W. Murphy's decision to delay the transition process.

November 19–22: legal developments

The same day, Trump campaign attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Joseph diGenova and Sidney Powell – who described themselves as Trump's "elite strike force team" – "spun a web of mistruths that made mention of the Clinton Foundation, liberal megadonor George Soros and the late Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez." Powell referred to an alleged pro-Biden election-rigging software within polling machines issued by Dominion Voting Systems. At no time did any of the lawyers give proof of their claims. Trump cable news loyalist Tucker Carlson singled out the conspiratorial claims made by Powell, who alleged that Venezuela, Cuba and unidentified communist interests had used a secret algorithm to hack into voting machines and commit fraud, noting that "what Powell was describing would amount to the single greatest crime in American history". He said Powell's became "angry and told us to stop contacting her" when he asked for evidence of her claims. On November 22, the Trump campaign distanced themselves from Powell, with Ellis saying "Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team. She is also not a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity."

November 23: GSA ascertains Biden as apparent president-elect

General Services Administrator Emily Murphy formally sent the letter of ascertainment to Joe Biden on November 23. While Democrats and some Republicans had been pressuring her to make the ascertainment, and Trump loyalists not to do so, Murphy stated she made her own decision based on the official election results and developing circumstances of Trump's legal challenges: 'Contrary to media reports and insinuations, my decision was not made out of fear or favoritism. Instead, I strongly believe that the statute requires that the GSA Administrator ascertain, not impose, the apparent president-elect.' Due to the ascertainment, the Biden/Harris transition team has obtained funding and permission to start working with Trump administration officials across federal agencies to prepare for the Biden administration's succession in January 2021. President Trump endorsed the GSA ascertainment 'in the best interest of the Country', while vowing to continue his legal struggles, which several people close to Trump as well as external commentators interpreted as an indirect concession.

December 8: Rejected resolution to declare Biden president-elect

During a meeting of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Democrats proposed a resolution affirming Joe Biden to be president-elect, but Republicans voted it down. The vote was 3–3 along party lines.

December 14: Electoral College votes to certify Biden's victory

After the electoral college vote to certify Biden's victory, more Republican senators begin to call Biden the president-elect. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell extended his congratulations for the first time on December 15, referring to Biden and Harris as "President-elect" and "vice president-elect" and stating: "The electoral college has spoken."

Denounced

These Republican officials have either explicitly publicly denounced Donald Trump's election fraud claims, acknowledged Joe Biden as President-elect, or both.

Federal executive officials

Current

• William Barr, United States Attorney General (1991–1993; 2019–present)
• Kay Bailey Hutchison, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (2017–present)
• Emily W. Murphy, Administrator of General Services (2017–present)
• Stephen A. Schwarzman, advisor to President Trump

Former

• George W. Bush, President of the United States (2001–2009)
• James Baker, White House Chief of Staff (1981–1985, 1992–1993), United States Secretary of State (1989–1992), United States Secretary of the Treasury (1985–1988)
• John Bolton, National Security Advisor (2018–2019), United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2005–2006)
• Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff (2001–2006)
• Michael Chertoff, United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005–2009)
• William Cohen, United States Secretary of Defense (1997–2001), Senator from Maine (1979–1997), Representative from Maine (1973–1979)
• Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence (2017–2019)
• Ari Fleischer, White House Press Secretary (2001–2003)
• Chuck Hagel, Senator from Nebraska (1997–2009); United States Secretary of Defense (2013–2015)
• Christopher C. Krebs, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (2018–2020)
• Ray LaHood, United States Secretary of Transportation (2009–2013), Representative from Illinois, 18th district (1995–2009) & 27 district (1982–1983)
• H. R. McMaster, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (2017–2018)
• Connie Morella, United States Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2003–2007)
• Richard Painter, Republican until 2018 then independent; chief White House ethics lawyer (2005–2007)
• Dan Quayle, Vice President of the United States (1989–1993)
• Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor (2001–2005), United States Secretary of State (2005–2009)
• Tom Ridge, United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003–2005)
• Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (2005–2007)
• Miles Taylor, Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2019)

Federal legislative officials

Senators

Current

Mitt Romney: '[Trump] is wrong to say that the election was rigged, corrupt and stolen.'

Ben Sasse: 'If the president's legal team has real evidence, they need to present it immediately.'

• Lamar Alexander, Senator from Tennessee (2003–present)
• Roy Blunt, Senator from Missouri (2011–present)
• Bill Cassidy, Senator from Louisiana (2015–present)
• Susan Collins, Senator from Maine (1997–present)
• Joni Ernst, Senator from Iowa (2015–present); Vice Chair, Senate Republican Conference (2019–present)
• Deb Fischer, Senator from Nebraska (2013–present)
• James Lankford, Senator from Oklahoma (2015–present)
• Lisa Murkowski, Senator from Alaska (2002–present)
• Rob Portman, Senator from Ohio (2011–present)
• Mitt Romney, Senator from Utah (2019–present)
• Marco Rubio, Senator from Florida (2011–present)
• Ben Sasse, Senator from Nebraska (2015–present)
• Pat Toomey, Senator from Pennsylvania (2011–present)
• Mitch McConnell, Senator from Kentucky (1985-present); Senate Majority Leader (2007-present)

Former

Rick Santorum: 'No Republican elected official is gonna stand behind [Trump's November 5] statement.'

• Bob Corker, Senator from Tennessee (2007–2019)
• David Durenberger, Senator from Minnesota (1978–1995) (Independent)
• Jeff Flake, Senator from Arizona (2013–2019)
• Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader (2003–2007); Senator from Tennessee (1995–2007)
• Rick Santorum, Senator from Pennsylvania (1995–2007)
• Olympia Snowe, Senator from Maine (1995-2013)

House Representatives

Current

Dan Crenshaw: 'If Trump loses, he loses. It was never an impossible outcome and we must accept the final results when it is over.'

Adam Kinzinger: 'STOP spreading debunked misinformation... This is getting insane.'

• Liz Cheney, WY-AL (2017–present)
• John Curtis, UT-03 (2017–present)
• Jenniffer González, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico (2017–present)
• Will Hurd, TX-23 (2015–present)
• Peter T. King, NY-02 (1993–present); Chair, House Committee on Homeland Security (2011–2013)
• Adam Kinzinger, IL-16 (2011–present)
• Paul Mitchell, MI-10 (2017–present)
• Tom Reed, NY-23 (2010–present)
• Denver Riggleman, VA-05 (2019–present)
• Francis Rooney, FL-19 (2017–present)
• Fred Upton, MI-06 (1987–present)
• Don Young, AK-AL (1973–present)

Former

• Steve Bartlett, TX-3 (1983–1991)
• Robert Bauman, MD-1 (1973–1981)
• Doug Bereuter, NE-1 (1979–2004)
• Charles Boustany, LA-3 (2005–2017)
• Mike Coffman, CO-6 (2009–2019)
• Tom Coleman, MO-6 (1976–1993)
• Barbara Comstock, VA-10 (2015–2019)
• Carlos Curbelo, FL-26 (2015–2019)
• Charlie Dent, PA-15 (2005–2018)
• Charles Djou, HI-1 (2010–2011)
• Mickey Edwards, OK-5 (1977–1993)
• Wayne Gilchrest, MD-1 (1991–2009)
• James C. Greenwood, PA-8 (1993–2005)
• Steve Gunderson, WI-3 (1981–1997)
• Bob Inglis, SC-4 (2005–2011)
• Scott L. Klug, WI-2 (1991–1999)
• Jim Kolbe, AZ-5 (1985–2003) and AZ-8 (2003–2007)
• Steven T. Kuykendall, CA-36 (1991–2001)
• Jim Leach, IA-1 (1977–2003) and IA-2 (2003–2007)
• John LeBoutillier, NY-6 (1981–1983)
• Susan Molinari, NY-14 (1990–1993) and NY-13 (1993–1997)
• Mike Parker, MS-4 (1989–1999)
• Tom Petri, WI-6 (1979–2015)
• Deborah Pryce, OH-15 (1993–2009)
• Jack Quinn, NY-30 (1990–1993) and NY-27 (2003–2005)
• Jim Renacci, OH-16 (2011–2019)
• Mike Rogers, MI-8 (2001–2015)
• Joe Scarborough, FL-1 (1995-2001)—now a cable news host for MSNBC and since 2017 identifies as Independent; on December 1, 2020, characterized the actions of Trump et al as an attempted coup d'état, using the legal term "four corners" for the degree to which the combined activities fit the definition of a coup
• Chris Shays, CT-4 (1987–2009)
• Peter Plympton Smith, VT-AL (1989–1991)
• Alan Steelman, TX-5 (1973–1977)
• James T. Walsh, NY-25 (1993–2009) and NY-27 (1983–1993)
• Dick Zimmer, NJ-12 (1991–1997)

Federal judicial officials

Current

• Stephanos Bibas, Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2017–present)

State and territory executive officials

Governors

Current

Charlie Baker: 'I'm dismayed to hear the baseless claims from the president and his team.'

Larry Hogan: 'There is no defense for the President's comments tonight undermining our democratic process.'

• Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts (2015–present)
• Mike DeWine, Governor of Ohio (2019–present)
• Doug Ducey, Governor of Arizona (2015–present)
• Wanda Vázquez Garced, Governor of Puerto Rico (2019–present)
• Gary Herbert, Governor of Utah (2009–present)
• Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland (2015–present)
• Asa Hutchinson, Governor of Arkansas (2015–present)
• Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama (2017–present)
• Phil Scott, Governor of Vermont (2017–present)
• Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma (2019–present)
• Chris Sununu, Governor of New Hampshire (2017–present)
• Ralph Torres, Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (2015–present)

Former

Chris Christie: '[If] there was voter fraud, then show us. ... We can't back you blindly without evidence.'

• Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida (1999–2007)
• Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey (2010–2018)
• Bill Haslam, Governor of Tennessee (2011–2019)
• John Kasich, Governor of Ohio (2011–2019)

Lieutenant governors

Current

• Spencer Cox, Lieutenant Governor of Utah (2013–present)
• Geoff Duncan, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (2019–present)
• Kevin Meyer, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska (2018–present)
• Arnold Palacios, Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (2019–present)
• Karyn Polito, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (2015–present)
• Boyd Rutherford, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (2015–present)

Former

• Kim Guadagno , Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey (2010–2018)
• Michael Steele, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (2003–2007); Chairman of the Republican National Committee (2009–2011)

Other executive officials

Current

• Mark Brnovich, Arizona Attorney General (2015–present)
• Barbara Cegavske, Nevada Secretary of State (2015–present)
• Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State (2019–present)
• Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State (2019–present)
• Scott Schwab, Kansas Secretary of State (2019–present)
• Corey Stapleton, Montana Secretary of State (2017–present)
• Kim Wyman, Washington Secretary of State (2013–present)

Former

• Trey Grayson, Secretary of State of Kentucky (2004–2011)

State lawmakers

Senators

• Jake Corman, Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate (2015–present)
• Mike Shirkey, Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate (2019–present)

Representatives

• Jon Bramnick, New Jersey State Assemblymember from District 21 (2003–present)
• Bryan Cutler, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (2020–present)

Election officials

• Gabriel Sterling, Manager of Georgia's voting system
• Al Schmidt, City Commissioner of Philadelphia

Others

• Cindy McCain and Meghan McCain, widow and daughter of 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain
• Ann Romney, wife of Mitt Romney, First Lady of Massachusetts (2003–2007)

Supported

These Republican officials have either explicitly publicly supported Donald Trump's election fraud claims, refused to acknowledge Joe Biden as President-elect, or both. (Note: this excludes Republicans who have only supported Trump's right to legally challenge the election results without explicitly supporting his election fraud claims; some Republicans who have denounced his claims or recognized Biden have also supported Trump's right to challenge the results).

Federal executive officials

Current

• William Barr, United States Attorney General (1991–1993; 2019–2020)
• Kayleigh McEnany, White House Press Secretary (2020–present)
• Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary of State (2018–present)

Former

• Steve Bannon, Counselor to the President (2017)
• Linda McMahon, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (2017–2019)

Nominated

• Scott O'Grady, nominee for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Members of Congress

Senators

Current

Lindsey Graham: 'I'm here tonight to stand with President Trump. (...). I don't trust Philadelphia.'

• John Barrasso, Senator from Wyoming (2007–present)
• Marsha Blackburn, Senator from Tennessee (2019–present)
• Tom Cotton, Senator from Arkansas (2015–present)
• Ted Cruz, Senator from Texas (2013–present)
• Lindsey Graham, Senator from South Carolina (2003–present); chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (2019–present)
• Chuck Grassley, Senator from Iowa (1981–present)
• Josh Hawley, Senator from Missouri (2019–present)
• Cindy Hyde-Smith, Senator from Mississippi (2018–present)
• Jim Inhofe, Senator from Oklahoma (1994–present)
• Ron Johnson, Senator from Wisconsin (2011–present)
• Kelly Loeffler, Senator from Georgia (2020–present)
• Rand Paul, Senator from Kentucky (2011–present)
• David Perdue, Senator from Georgia (2015–present)
• Roger Wicker, Senator from Mississippi (2007–present)

House Representatives

Current

Kevin McCarthy: 'President Trump won this election. So (...) do not be silent about this. We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes.'

• Ralph Abraham
• Mark Amodei
• Kelly Armstrong
• Brian Babin, Texas-36 (2015–present)
• Jim Banks, Indiana–03 (2017–present)
• Andy Barr
• Andy Biggs, Arizona–05 (2017–present)
• Dan Bishop
• Mo Brooks, Alabama–05 (2011–present)
• Ted Budd
• Tim Burchett
• Bradley Byrne, Alabama–01 (2014–present)
• Ben Cline, Virginia–06 (2019–present)
• Doug Collins, Georgia-09 (2013–present)
• James Comer
• Dan Crenshaw, TX-02 (2019–present)
• Mario Díaz-Balart, Florida–25 (2003–2011; 2013–present); Florida–21 (2011–2013)
• Jeff Duncan
• Tom Emmer
• Drew Ferguson, Georgia–03 (2017–present)
• Louie Gohmert, Texas–01 (2005–present)
• Lance Gooden, Texas–05 (2019–present)
• Paul Gosar, Arizona–04 (2013–present); Arizona–01 (2011–2013)
• Sam Graves
• Michael Guest
• Jim Hagedorn
• Andy Harris
• Richard Hudson
• Bill Huizenga
• Mike Johnson
• Jim Jordan
• Dave Joyce
• Fred Keller, Pennsylvania–12 (2019–present)
• Mike Kelly
• Trent Kelly
• Steve King
• Doug LaMalfa, California–01 (2013–present)
• Debbie Lesko, Arizona–08 (2018–present)
• Blaine Luetkemeyer
• Thomas Massie
• Kevin McCarthy, California–23 (2013–present), House Minority Leader (2019–present)
• Tom McClintock, California–4 (2009–present)
• John Moolenaar
• Markwayne Mullin
• Ralph Norman
• Devin Nunes, California–22 (2013–present); California–21 (2003-2013)
• Steven Palazzo
• Gary Palmer, Alabama–06 (2015–present)
• Scott Perry
• Guy Reschenthaler
• David Rouzer
• Steve Scalise, Louisiana–01 (2008–present), House Minority Whip (2019–present)
• Jason Smith
• Lloyd Smucker
• Elise Stefanik
• Greg Steube, Florida–17 (2019–present)
• Glenn Thompson
• Tom Tiffany, Wisconsin–07 (2020–present)
• William Timmons
• Tim Walberg
• Bruce Westerman, Arkansas–04 (2015–present)
• Roger Williams, Texas–25 (2015–present)
• Joe Wilson

Designate

• Madison Cawthorn
• Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia–14 (term starting 2021)

Former

• Lou Barletta, Pennsylvania–11 (2011–2019)
• Newt Gingrich, Georgia–06 (1979–1999), Speaker of the House of Representatives (1995–1999)

State executive officials

Governors

Current

• Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida (2019–present)
• Mike Dunleavy, Governor of Alaska (2018–present)
• Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota (2019–present)

Lieutenant Governors

Current

• Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor of Texas (2015–present)

Attorneys general

Current

• Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General (2015–present)
• Sean Reyes, Utah Attorney General (2013–present)

Former

• Pam Bondi, Florida Attorney General (2011–2019)
• Adam Laxalt, Nevada Attorney General (2015–2019)

Municipal executive officials

Rudy Giuliani at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference: 'All the networks [called Biden's win]? Don't be ridiculous.'

Former

• Rudy Giuliani, Mayor of New York City (1994–2001)

Party officials

Current

• Ronna McDaniel, Chairperson of the Republican National Committee (2017–present)

Others

Eric Trump: 'Where are Republicans! Have some backbone. Fight against this fraud.'

• Loren Culp, 2020 Washington gubernatorial candidate
• Donald Trump Jr., son of Donald Trump
• Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump

See also

• Disputes surrounding the 2020 United States presidential election results
• International reactions to the 2020 United States presidential election
• List of Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign endorsements
• List of former Trump administration officials who endorsed Joe Biden
• List of lawsuits involving Donald Trump
• List of Republicans who oppose the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign
• Stop the Steal
• Texas v. Pennsylvania