Fact Check

Did Trump Instruct Republicans Not To Vote in 2022 or 2024?

Typically, current or former politicians send the opposite message to voters.

Published Oct. 14, 2021

DES MOINES, IOWA - OCTOBER 09: Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on October 09, 2021 in Des Moines, Iowa. This is Trump's first rally in Iowa since the 2020 election.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Image Via Getty Images
Claim:
In a statement on Oct. 13, 2021, former U.S. President Donald Trump urged Republican supporters not to vote in 2022 or 2024 elections.
Context

The directive was contingent on whether or not "we ... solve the Presidential Election Fraud of 2020," referring to the repeatedly debunked conspiracy theory that illegal voting helped Joe Biden win the presidency.

On Oct. 13, 2021, a popular Reddit thread claimed former U.S. President Donald Trump urged Republican supporters not to vote in 2022 or 2024 elections.

The thread included a link to an article on The Daily Beast that cited a statement from Trump supposedly issuing the directive.

That statement was authentic, confirming the claim of this fact check is true. By going to donaldjtrump.com — the website where, after his suspension from mainstream social media sites, Trump lists his political goals, solicits donations, and posts statements in response to current events — Snopes found the below-displayed message:

In other words, it was true that Trump on Oct. 13 told Republicans to withhold their votes in the 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections "if we don't solve the Presidential Election Fraud of 2020." That ultimatum was referring to the repeatedly debunked conspiracy theory that Democrats had coordinated a grand scheme to illegally hike voter tallies or conceal ballots to undermine Trump's reelection.

After polls closed on Election Day, conservative media pundits played into the conspiracy by promoting a variety of false stories — ranging from a chicken barn fire in Arizona supposedly destroying votes to late-night vote "dumps" allegedly helping Biden win key battleground states.

Nonetheless, considering the indisputable evidence on Trump's website that he told supporters to sit out the upcoming elections, we rate this claim "True."


See also from Snopes:

Sources

Wilstein, Matt. “Trump Tells Republicans Not to Vote in 2022 or 2024.” The Daily Beast, 13 Oct. 2021, https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-tells-republicans-not-to-vote-in-2022-or-2024.

Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/news-vh9rfuemhp0. Accessed 14 Oct. 2021.

Jessica Lee is Snopes' Senior Assignments Editor with expertise in investigative storytelling, media literacy advocacy and digital audience engagement.

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