Let’s Play “Spot the Crime”

Expect Trump to Cheat

by Doug Smith

11/2/26

I don’t listen to Trump’s speeches, but I did catch this bit from the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas in September.  He was leading the crowd in a pledge to himself: 

“I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States that loves us so much he can't even breathe. That I will go out with my family, my friends… I don't care if I'm registered or not. I'm going to try to cheat like hell, like they do. I'm going to go out and I'm going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on November 3, or we are going to vote before that.”

Did you catch the crime? “I’m going to try to cheat like hell.”  Is he joking?  I think we need to take him seriously.  I know he’s encouraging his followers to cheat, but we all know he will also be trying to cheat on a much larger scale.  And in just a few days, if things don’t go his way, we will find out what kinds of tactics he is going to unleash upon our nation and electoral process.  This isn’t just about recounting ballots.  That’s pretty much normal now, and there are ways to guarantee the security of that process. 

So how would he cheat?  Remember what he tried to do after the 2020 election, when he tried to strong-arm election supervisors into “creating” more votes for him in their states.  Fortunately, we had election officials with integrity, in both parties, who stood up to these demands.  In 2026, are those same people of integrity still guarding the gates? 

Will he unleash the Proud Boys and other white supremacist groups to foment violence in Washington D.C. or elsewhere, like he did on January 6, 2021?  We just don’t know right now, but we know he is quite capable of that.  Will they seize ballots in Democratic areas and try to invalidate thousands of votes?  Will the Republicans in Congress refuse to seat new incoming Democratic senators and representatives?  Anything is possible.

After Election Day, Trump and his minions will unleash a torrent of lies to try and steal the election.  Hard to say what craziness he will unleash this time, but we need to be ready to withstand the assault, in whatever form it takes.  Remember, he is like a toddler; when things don’t go his way, he will throw a tantrum. 

Trump also said at the convention that he hopes everyone will vote like he was personally on the ballot.  Now there’s something I actually agree with!  All those Republican candidates for all those positions… consider them all to be like votes for Trump!  And it’s true, because they are all enablers and defenders.  They had to be or they wouldn’t be on the ballot.  The independent thinkers and moderate Republicans have all been purged from the party.  So don’t give any of them any power!  Vote for the Democrats! 

I just hope enough of our democratic norms remain in place to preserve the integrity of our elections.  But the best thing we can do right now is VOTE!  A blue wave election would not be able to be denied!  In the past, it could rightly be said that the people who DIDN’T vote decided the outcome.  Don’t let that be said of this election.  Let’s all do our duty and cast our ballots on Tuesday (or Monday at the Courthouse if you prefer) and begin the process of taking back our state and our nation from the brink of autocracy.

Learn more about Democratic candidates for all local elections here:  https://sites.google.com/blackhawkdemocrats.com/black-hawk-county-democrats-ca/home 

Find your sample ballot here:  https://blackhawkcountyelections.iowa.gov/search/ 

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