During the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump claimed that the system was being "rigged," which he continued to use as his excuse for losing the popular vote. The president has stuck by his allegation, which is now being challenged.
Trump's claim
When Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become the new President of the United States last November, his victory shocked the world.
However, while Trump did win the electoral college vote, he failed capture the popular vote in the process. In response, the former host of "The Apprentice" claimed, without evidence, that he only lost the popular vote to Clinton because as many as 5 million illegal immigrants had allegedly voted for the Democratic nominee. As reported by The Hill on March 22, a top offical in the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is now demanding proof of voter fraud.
Ellen Weintraub, a commissioner with the FEC, sent a letter to the White House on Tuesday which called for Donald Trump to release proof of his voter fraud allegations, and to do so "immediately." "You have alleged that hundreds of thousands of voters were bused from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to vote illegally on Election Day 2016," the letter reads.
Weintraub noted that American democracy is built on citizen's faith in the election system, which she believes is being compromised by the president. Weintraub, as The Hill points out, was appointed by former President George W. Bush, and is "demanding that he (Trump) immediately provide evidence" of the voter fraud allegation.
"Your voter-fraud allegations run the risk of undermining that faith," Ellen Weintraub continued. "Facts matter, Mr. President," the statement goes on to say, before adding, "The American people deserve to see your evidence." As of press time, the White House has not offered a response, while Weintraub's tweets to Donald Trump on the issue have remained unanswered.
Moving forward
No credible proof has ever been released by Donald Trump over the issue of voter fraud, with the exception of partisan and generally discredited "reports" by right-wing think tanks. After just two months in the White House, it appears that Trump is facing increased backlash on a daily basis.