Topline

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters—including billionaire Elon Musk—have spread claims about election irregularities and fraud in Pennsylvania despite officials saying their claims have no merit, as the ex-president begins sowing distrust in the election results as polls suggest he’s virtually tied with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Key Facts

Trump has repeatedly suggested on social media there’s election fraud in Pennsylvania without showing evidence, writing on Truth Social Thursday, “We caught them CHEATING BIG in Pennsylvania.”

Pennsylvania is one of the most high-stakes battleground states in the presidential election—awarding 19 electors to whomever wins—and polling there shows Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris neck-and-neck.

Trump’s comments echo his false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, which he used to unsuccessfully try and overturn the vote count after President Joe Biden won, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro claimed on X that Trump is now “trying to use the same playbook to stoke chaos” in this election.

Trump and his supporters’ claims are being amplified in this election by billionaire Elon Musk, who has shared false fraud claims on X, formerly known as Twitter, and allowed conspiracy theories to spread freely on the social platform, which he owns.

State election officials have debunked and opposed the false claims of fraud, with Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt saying at a media briefing Wednesday, “Spreading...

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