The President Who Cried Wolf

Even before the 2020 U.S. presidential election began, there was talk of widespread voter fraud. Most of this talk came from the president himself. But let’s be clear, an accusation is not evidence. It is merely an accusation, even when it emanates from the Oval Office. So far, the president has produced no evidence to support any of his accusations. Baseless speculation? Yes. Unsubstantiated and debunked claims? Yes. Credible evidence? No. None. Not one shred.

It is perfectly fine to dispute the results of an election and to point to any irregularities. We need to know about those in order to fix them so that we as citizens can have faith that our votes are counted just as we intended. Unfortunately, that is not what we are witnessing. We are witnessing an established pattern by the president.

In 2016, after the current president was confronted by the fact that, while he had won the electoral college, he had lost the popular vote, he claimed that the only reason he had done so was that there had been millions of illegal votes cast for his opponent. He even commissioned a panel (chaired by his vice president, Mike Pence) to look into the matter. Despite every incentive to do so, the panel could not produce any evidence of the president's claims. So, he disbanded it.

And this year, months before a single vote was cast in this election, the president was claiming that the election was going to be rigged (not in his favor, of course). If he actually had any evidence of those allegations, where is it? Why did he and his team of lawyers not present it to the proper authorities at that time? Simple. He had no evidence of his claims then, just as he has none now (a fact currently being played out in the courts).

So no, we are not witnessing the legitimate questioning of actual voting irregularities and "widespread" voter fraud. What we are witnessing are the tantrums of a manchild who cannot fathom even the possibility that a majority of the American people don’t love him as much as...well, as much as he loves himself. But, this too will pass. As the legal "drama" unfolds, after all is said and done, the results that were initially announced will be validated (as they have been in Georgia) and he will still end up losing.

One important thing to note, lest anyone misunderstand. Whenever the current president finally does leave office, none of us should think for a moment that it will be the last we will see of him. On the contrary. Unencumbered by the constraints of The Office, he will be freer than ever to hold rallies, make speeches, do book tours, make whatever unsubstantiated claims that come to his mind, and air his many grievances to the likes of OAN, Fox, and, if recent reports are to be believed, his own media outlet. And where ever he goes, the faithful will continue to follow. Rest assured of that.

The real harm here is that some citizens will continue to believe the results of this and future elections are fraudulent, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. That doubt will not be the result of actual “widespread” irregularities having occurred. No. It will abide because the President of the United States of America planted the seeds of doubt into the fertile minds of his ardent followers.

Like he himself has said before, he knows his audience.