Politics

Trump Tweeted 8 Years Ago Today The Electoral College Is A Disaster For Democracy ‘

Published

4 months ago

November 7, 2020

President Donald Trump could be on his way out of the White House as counting of ballots continues on Saturday and former Vice President Joe Biden is currently ahead in key states.

Biden needs 270 electoral votes to win and he currently has 264, according to data from the Associated Press. Trump has just 214, though this could rise as the last states are called.

With the electoral college dominating the news, one of the president’s tweets from this day 8 years ago is receiving renewed attention online as Trump makes unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

“The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy,” Trump tweeted on November 7, 2012.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012

At the time Trump was criticizing the electoral college, he was a businessman and reality TV star who was still hosting NBC’s The Apprentice. Trump had endorsed Romney for president but would later attack him for losing.

The president’s position on the electoral college hasn’t been consistent, however. Following his 2016 victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump repeatedly claimed his electoral vote win of 306 to Clinton’s 232 was a landslide.

“We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the electoral college. I guess the final numbers are now at 306,” Trump told Fox News on December 11, 2016.

“I think the Democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country,” he said.

The Trump transition team echoed his sentiments, saying in a statement on December 9 of that year: “The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history.”

Trump lost the popular vote by around 3 million ballots but his narrow wins in former “Blue Wall” states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin put him in the White House. His margin in the electoral college was smaller than 37 of his predecessors across 58 total presidential elections up to that time.

Biden increased his lead in the key state of Pennsylvania to 28,000 votes on Saturday, according to CBS News. Carrying the state will hand him victory in the electoral college.

President Donald Trump speaks in the briefing room at the White House on November 5 in Washington, DC. Votes are still being counted two days after the presidential election as incumbent Trump is in a close race against challenger Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, which remains too close to call. Trump has previously criticized the electoral college.
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