Trump admits he lost in 2020, leading white nationalist Nick Fuentes to disavow him
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
USA TODAY
September 5, 2024 at 3:27 PM
Former President Donald Trump's recent acknowledgment that he lost the 2020 election has rattled prominent far-right figures, with some saying they will lead a campaign to keep him from being elected in 2024.
At least three times in recent weeks Trump, the 2024 Republican party nominee, has acknowledged that he lost in 2020 by a whisker."
"He beat us by a whisker. It was a terrible thing," Trump said of President Joe Biden during a 45 minute interview Aug. 4 with podcaster Lex Fridman. He used similar language at an Aug. 30 Moms for Liberty summit and an Aug. 23 press event at the Southern border.
Despite frequently and falsely claiming that he actually won the election and making the issue a central point of his 2024 bid, Trump has occasionally over the last few years admitted that he lost. Trump lost the popular vote to Biden my 7 million votes and the Electoral College by 74 electoral votes. His effort to overturn the election culminated in Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters hoping to stop the certification of his defeat.
The reaction to Trump's most recent comments from some far-right activists and influencers has been unusually stark.
White nationalist Nick Fuentes blasted Trump Sept. 4 for admitting that he lost the 2020 election, and said that he will work to get voters not to back Trump.
"So, why did we do Stop the Steal? Why did did anyone go to Jan. 6? Why did any one go to jail? ... It would have been good to know that before 1,600 people got charged," Fuentes said on his podcast, referring to the criminal charges for those who invaded and ransacked the Capitol. "It would've been good to know that before (I) had all my money frozen, put on a no-fly list, banned from everything, lost all my bank and payment processing."
Fuentes, a podcaster and Holocaust denier who dined with Trump and the notorious rapper Ye at Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2022 went on to call it a "tremendous betrayal" and "callus indifference to the sacrifices that his supporters made on his behalf."
Divided right as Trump pursues moderate voters
Losing Fuentes and other far-right influencers and media personalities could have a serious impact. The Trump campaign has long relied on those in the hard-right media eco-system to amplify political messages to their audiences of Trump's most ardent supporters.
The Trump campaign declined to comment for this article.
This isn't the first time hard-right provocateurs have criticized how Trump is positioning himself in the general election, a time when he will have to gain support from more than just his most dedicated supporters in order to win back the White House.
A month ago − after the Republican National Convention − Fuentes refused to endorse Trump for reelection. He also said on his podcast that he plans sustained opposition to Trump, including a press conference in Michigan in mid-September, "counter-programming" during a Trump or Vance rally and other actions to pressure the Trump campaign.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Trump's approach "needs to change FAST because we can't talk about a stolen election for another 4 years." She also called his surrogates "weak" and said his momentum is being suppressed.
In a podcast, far-right personality Candace Owens said the infighting a "MAGA Civil War" is spurred by anger that Trump's campaign has softened his policies and persona to boost his mainstream appeal.
Trump has flailed back and forth on his position on abortion bans recently, drawing rebukes from anti-abortion rights activists.
But Owens stressed that she will still support him.
"I'm just not sure who is driving the MAGA bus anymore," she said, stressing that her issue is with Trump's staff, not the former president. "You're losing that support from the people that believed in you. … You need those people. That is your base. You can't suddenly change who your base is think that that is going to be a successful strategy here."
Reporter David Jackson contributed to this article
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump quietly admits he lost 2020, enrages supporters
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At least three times in recent weeks Trump, the 2024 Republican party nominee, has acknowledged that he lost in 2020 by a whisker."
"He beat us by a whisker. It was a terrible thing," Trump said of President Joe Biden during a 45 minute interview Aug. 4 with podcaster Lex Fridman. He used similar language at an Aug. 30 Moms for Liberty summit and an Aug. 23 press event at the Southern border.
—from the article.
Crooked Donald has defrauded his own supporters! And trumpists let it him do it to them!
Sorry fellas, you broke the cardinal rule. You trusted DJT.
I can only imagine the look on Mike Lindell's face.. LOL
You can see it at any number of law suits dealing with his lack of paying debts. I was just reading another filed this week.
And he's too stupid to realize that trump is one of the big reasons he is now broke.
heh, I wonder how much that fucking chopped foam moron has actually thrown away in defense of his traitorous hero...
His pillow company is a shadow of what it was before Trumpism and he's close to losing everything he has left.
meh, I predicted he'd eventually be living under a bridge and back on the crackpipe 4 years ago...
He is a fine example of the cult-like attraction to Trump. He has behaved irrationally for years now ... giving up his fame and fortune in a misguided attempt to make true what is demonstrably false.
To what end?
I just do not see what it is about Trump that makes so many abandon all common sense and rational reasoning and support this scoundrel.
It is rumored that Donald is charismatic in person. That's what I hear. But, I see the weasel factor in everything he says. - Everything he says.
This is precisely why both parties should sit the populists down and explain to them how government works. Their populist wish lists aren't all that popular to the middle class masses. That would also start to unite the country
The problem is that Fuentes et. al. believed Trump. Even when Trump makes outrageous claims that are debunked left and right almost immediately people like Fuentes empowered him by acting on the belief that Trump was telling them the truth.
How naive can one be?
Adults need to take responsibility for their actions and one key action is ascertaining likely truth. Those who go off half-cocked simply because a pathological liar claims with no evidence (actually against the evidence) that the USA election system is rigged are responsible for their own laziness / stupidity.
I never would have believed that there were so many gullible people in our nation until Trump came alone and illustrated the lurking problem.
This is my idea on Trump admitting he lost.
1. He's tired of lying about this. He's not tired of lying, but he's lied about this one specific thing for four years running and I think he is boring himself.
2. More importantly, he wants to go through the last two months of the campaign saying that he doesnt believe the election was stolen, when he is asked.
He might even claim that he never said the election was stolen, as crazy as that sounds I would not rule it out. If he can grab a few moderates by claiming he never said the election was stolen he will do so.
I think he (more likely surrogates) will claim that he meant that Biden 'won' by cheating. That is a sensible way for his handlers to deal with this. Sensible because a lie this old and this widely stated must be maintained.
And there you have it: It's one reason why I and many others can't stand Donald the Weirdo. He accepts nothing that is reasonably and maybe only his own fault!
Translation: Trump's teleprompter was broken, turned off, or just too hard to read.
he'll be walking back all kinds of bullshit he uttered to gain votes knowing that the maga diehards won't care...
It's highly probable part of the planned strategy they expect: Win at any cost! A Machiavellian expedient victory is a win in any book! I don't expect that Donald cares if the majority of the electorate thinks he is a wholesale jerk.
Nothing quite so verbose, simplified down to "nuh uh, didn't say that". And MAGA will believe him over their own ears and eyes.
Crooked Donald touches your life: That part 'dies' in some significant and tangible way.
It is quite . . something when a candidate is exposed by a "leading' supremacists as unfit for office!
Proving again MAGA are Trump's Stooges!
Trump was dead set against the Electoral College when Obama was re-elected.
When he beat Hillary, despite losing the popular vote bigly, he was all for the Electoral College.
Now that he lost the popular vote again over 7 million votes and the Electoral College 306 to 232 he hates it again.
Losing that big isn't by a whisker, it's a beat down with a Louisville Slugger Atlas.
Perhaps he’s compromising. If probed on it, he’ll say Biden won by a whisker. There were still millions of fake votes and Democrats cheating, but if you took away all the illegitimate votes, he still lost to Biden by a whisker. Of course the evidence to back up this absurdity will be released … with his taxes … when he is not under audit.
Trust Trump you dumb shits, the bus is going to run over you in both directions.
Do you really need Trump to tell you he lost? Because the rest of us figured that out without his help. If you’re that gullible, maybe don’t vote.
Do you really need Trump to tell you he lost?“
yes, many, damn many NEED to hear that he has Admittedly LIED, easily. over a thousand damn times on this single FACT!
They would NEVER believe another, as it is required for the Grand Wizard of PooBah to utter the phrase “ Trump LOST, and ive been LYING About it for 4 Fckn , yes thatsvFOUR Fckn YEARS NOW!
The Cult will not accept the chore of anyone else but the CULT LITER, when it comes to admitting this.
Boy, that’s odd, none on the rabid right here to explain…?
Mommy finally hid her 'little helper' pills.
No we don't need Donald to do anything for us. Exception: Get out of public service.
We have eyes to see; ears to hear; and minds to discern truth. We know Donald lost. Still as Igknorantzruls states at 11.1, Crooked Donald needs to straighten out one, several, or a 'thousand' of his lies for the sakes and edification of his supporters and voters whom collaborate with him in spreading his lies far and wide.