Published Phone Call Exposes Trump’s Personal Participation in 2020 Election Interference

A recording of a November 2020 phone call between then-President Donald Trump, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, and two Michigan Republican officials was reviewed by the Detroit News. It shows just how involved Trump was in attempting to overturn the 2020 election, in which he was defeated by President Joe Biden.

Concerning Comments

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“We’ve got to fight for our country,” Trump said on the recordings of the call, which were made by a person present with the two Michigan election officials. “We can’t let these people take our country away from us,” the former President continued.

The Players Involved

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Trump was speaking to Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers. He was attempting to convince them not to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

Official Involvement

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Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee and a Michigan native, joined Trump in pressuring the two election workers. “If you can go home tonight,” she said in the recording, “do not sign” the certification of the election. “We will get you attorneys.”

Rapid Events

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According to records reviewed by the Detroit News, the call between Trump, McDaniel, and the election workers happened just 30 minutes after a meeting between the Wayne County Board of Canvassers ended on November 17, 2020.

Potential Outcome

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If Palmer and Hartmann had bowed to the pressure from Trump and McDaniel, the election results in Michigan could have been undermined. While the two election workers refused to sign the official certification paperwork, the state board managed to certify the election on November 23, 2020.

Unacceptable Opposition

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According to Chris Thomas, who was the director of elections in Michigan for more than thirty years, there was no legal reason for Palmer and Hartmann to block certification of the election.

Free and Fair

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Despite Trump’s claims, there is no evidence of cheating or fraud in the 2020 election in Michigan. In fact, Trump actually performed better in Detroit, the center of Trump’s accusations of fraud, in 2020 than in 2016.

Makes no Sense

There was a slight discrepancy in Detroit: About 150 fewer absentee ballots were tabulated than there were names in the poll books. “If the ballots had been illegally counted,” explained Jonathan Brater, Michigan’s election director, “there would be substantially more, not slightly fewer, ballots tabulated than names in the poll books.”

Legal Troubles

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The recording adds yet more evidence to the mounting pile being used to back Trump’s federal indictment for election interference. It also could mean legal ramifications for McDaniel.