What Donald Trump Said in Newly Released Audio Clip
By: Darragh Roche
Former President Donald Trump has reiterated his claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him and described supporters who heard him speak on January 6 as a "loving crowd" in newly released audio.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalists Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker have shared audio clips of their 2-hour interview with Trump conducted as part of research for their book, I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year.
The authors spoke to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday and aired part of their interview with Trump where they asked him about the Capitol riot and his speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. that preceded it.
Trump described the crowd that listened to his speech as "loving."
"I think it was the largest crowd I've ever spoken before," Trump said.
"It went from that point—which is almost at the White House—to beyond the Washington monument. It was—and wide. And it was a loving crowd, too, by the way."
"There was a lot of love. I've heard that from everybody. Many, many people have told me that was a loving crowd," he said.
The former president said of the event: "Personally what I wanted is what they wanted."
"They showed up just to show support because I happen to believe the election was rigged at a level like nothing has ever been rigged before," he said.
Trump said he didn't want his supporters to go into the Capitol building on January 6 but he said they were "ushered in by the police" and that the Capitol police were "hugging and kissing" them.
The former president maintained that the 2020 presidential election was rigged in his remarks to Leonnig and Rucker. He claimed dead people and "illegal immigrants" had voted, as well as "Indians that got paid to vote in different places."
He also said that state legislatures had not approved many aspects of voting in the 2020 election, including early voting and mail-in ballots in some cases, and repeated his criticism of the Supreme Court for not acting on claims of fraud in the election.
Trump also discussed former Vice President Mike Pence's role on January 6, and reiterated his disappointment with Pence, who refused to reject the results of the Electoral College.
"I didn't tell him to do anything," Trump said, but said the vice president had to "protect the constitution of the United States" when "you have more votes than you have voters."
"I don't believe he's just supposed to be a statue who gets these votes from the states and immediately hands them over," Trump said.
The former president also suggested Pence might not be his choice of running mate if he runs for another term in 2024, saying he wasn't "locked into anything."
Newsweek has asked former President Trump's office for comment.
So now he is accusing Indians of voter fraud.
A typical racist/moronic statement by the Liar King.
I am sure Mike Pence is heartbroken.
Sigh of relief...Haha
DeSantis is giggling in glee however...
I thought he did in his speech tell them to go to the capitol...
He said he'd waddle with them to the Capitol - but some say - that's just a figure of speech.
Before or after they got hit with bear spray and flagpoles and shields????????????????????? Before or after they practically beat that one officer to death?
LOL! Look at his little tiny hand on that big fat pig body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can this be held against him in a civil trial?
Sounds like an admission. That and saying he wanted Pence to not certify the election.
"Hugging and kissing them"? Then why did one of the insurrectionists get shot? She didn't give enough hugs and kisses?
And one cop also got killed by insurrectionists. Was he not giving out enough hugs?
Also, that one officer that allegedly died of natural causes the next day - I don't care - you can't tell me that what happened at the failed coup/insurrection had NOTHING to do with it - my big fat ass!!!!!!!!!
They didn't want any girls ruining their sausage party.
oh no, the trump [ {deleted} ] are flagging comments in here. yeah, that'll happen. gee, maybe I beat the [ {deleted} ] to the flag. too bad...
I pointed out a proven fact about those who rioted and got flagged for SG. They were in fact Trumptards and that is no SG. I guess I hurt Vic's feelings with the truth.
They were all led on by the Turd Reich
There's no truth allowed on those circle jerks. All of them look like drive by shootings whenever we post facts or truth or common sense
He sucks as a mod and is always abusing the honor. It is time to clip his wings.
Yeah yeah yeah, bring on the ticket. It needed to be said.
Trump is a literal madman.
congress needs to pass a law that removes secret service protection from any POTUS that gets indicted and convicted of a crime.
Right now we are footing the bill for SSP for his grown children, which is usually only for minor children. Mr Let Me wright another BS EO made it happen.
He'll need SS protection if he ends up in the general population areas of the prison I hope he's bound for, but I bet he'll just end up being sentenced to house confinement, because of being past POTUS - I suppose Mar-a-Lago will be a luxurious enough place, where he can play golf every day, and DeSantis can visit him often with tributes for his master.
too bad there wasn't half a dozen NG 50cal crews positioned up high.
I would have settled for the FD's unleashing high pressure hoses on them. Works good on dogs.
Aren't the police helping smash the Capitol windows to "usher" the savages in?
Don't Trump's supporters get tired of his endless 'record-breaking' exaggerated claim language? Everything with Trump is: 'like never before'. What an annoying P.O.S. he is yet so many Rs follow this bozo and believe whatever he says. It is pathetic.
And his supporters will believe this crap too.
We can probably names some here on NT who fit that bill.
That's putting it mildly.
No doubt. Well, people are irrational creatures, aren't they?