Last night, the Associated Press published a leaked audio recording of Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign operatives in Wisconsin just days after the election, admitting they knew Trump lost. Trump’s staffers followed his playbook despite acknowledging defeat in the race, and prepared for “any stunts we need to pull” in order to “fan the flames” of Trump’s election lies. This leak further highlights how Trump’s own campaign knowingly undermined the will of voters, spreading lies and conspiracies as part of a coordinated effort to overturn the 2020 election. As MAGA Republicans continue to elevate his lies, we must continue to hold Trump and his allies accountable and protect our right to pick our own leaders.
Associated Press: Trump Campaign Staff On 2020 Election Lies: ‘Fan The Flame’. “A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trump’s campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election. But even as they acknowledged defeat, they pivoted to allegations of widespread fraud that were ultimately debunked — repeatedly — by elections officials and the courts. The audio from Nov. 5, 2020, two days after the election, is surfacing as Trump again seeks the White House while continuing to lie about the legitimacy of the outcome and Democrat Joe Biden’s win. The Wisconsin political operatives in the strategy session even praised Democratic turnout efforts in the state’s largest counties and appeared to joke about their efforts to engage Black voters, according to the recording obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The audio centers on Andrew Iverson, who was the head of Trump’s campaign in the state. ‘Here’s the drill: Comms is going to continue to fan the flame and get the word out about Democrats trying to steal this election. We’ll do whatever they need (inaudible) help with. Just be on standby in case there’s any stunts we need to pull,’ Iverson said.” [Associated Press, 2/3/23]
Newsweek: Trump Operatives Laughed About Talking to Black People During 2020 Campaign. “Members of former President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign team laughed and appeared to joke about whether they should have engaged with Black voters in Wisconsin, according to leaked audio. Newly released recordings, obtained by The Associated Press, reportedly tell how Republican political operatives were laughing about whether they should have tried to appeal to minority voters in the Badger State during the last election. At one point, the operators working in the key swing state are reportedly heard laughing about a comment from Andrew Iverson, who was the head of Trump’s campaign in Wisconsin, on whether they need ‘more Black voices’ for the former president. […] ‘We ever talk to Black people before? I don’t think so,’ Iverson reportedly said, prompting more laughter from those taking part in a meeting on November 5, two days after Election Day in 2020. The claims of the Wisconsin Republicans laughing about engaging with the Black community formed part of an Associated Press report detailing how they were aware that Joe Biden had won the 2020 election, but wanted to ‘fan the flame’ that the Democrats rigged the election regardless.” [Newsweek, 2/3/23]
Salon: “Standby If There’s Any Stunts We Need To Pull”: Leaked Audio Exposes Trump Campaign’s Big Lie. “However, in the recording, Republican campaign operatives don’t discuss Trump having won the state. Instead, they focus on closing campaign offices and writing reports on how the election unfolded. At one point, Iverson even admits the margin of defeat for Trump in the state. […] The recording shows the dissonance between what Republican officials said about the results in private and the allegations of a stolen election that Trump and his allies were pushing out in public. Trump’s own attorney general told him at the time that there was no evidence of widespread fraud, but the former president ignored the advice of his administration. The audio also captured the Trump campaign officials discussing the state’s Black voters. […] ‘There’s going to be another election in a couple years. So remember the lessons you learned and be ready to punch back.’” [Salon, 2/3/23]
The Guardian: Trump 2020 Campaign Head In Key State Sought To Fan Flame Of Election Denial. “A senior member of Trump’s re-election campaign said that campaigners were going to ‘fan the flame’ and spread the false claim that Democrats were ‘trying to steal this election’ in a leaked November 2020 audio clip, the Associated Press first reported. […] The audio was given to the Associated Press by a former Trump operative, who withheld their name fearing political and personal retaliation. The unnamed operative was motivated as Trump prepares for a third reelection campaign for the US presidency. Iverson, who is now the midwest regional director for the Republican National Committee (RNC), has deferred questions from the Associated Press to RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper.” [The Guardian, 2/3/23]
Mediaite: CAUGHT ON TAPE: Trump Campaign Plots To ‘Fan Flames’ of Big Lie in Leaked Strategy Session — TWO DAYS After Election. “A Trump campaign official was caught on tape telling staff that President Donald Trump’s ‘comms’ team would continue to ‘fan flames’ of election denial — just two days after Election Day 2020. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in an electoral landslide that has been reaffirmed over and over by state officials from Trump’s own party, but the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was ‘stolen’ from Trump has persisted — and was the spark that incited the January 6 attack on the Capitol. According to a leaked recording of a November 5 campaign strategy session in Wisconsin that was obtained by Scott Bauer of the Associated Press, the effort to push that false claim was well underway immediately following the election. In the first of the two clips Bauer shared, Trump Wisconsin campaign chief Andrew Iverson tells staff that ‘comms’ is going to push the stolen election claim and in a potential admission of bad faith, says to be ready to ‘pull stunts.’” [Mediaite, 2/3/23]
Raw Story: Leak: Wisconsin GOP’s Strategy To ‘Fan The Flames’ Of Trump Election Lies. “A newly released audio recording reveals Donald Trump’s campaign team in Wisconsin scheming to promote the defeated president’s election fraud lies. The Nov. 5, 2020, recording from a strategy session shows political operatives, centering around Wisconsin campaign head Andrew Iverson, praising Democratic turnout efforts in the state’s largest counties and even joking about their their [sic] efforts to engage Black voters, reported the Associated Press. […] Joe Biden defeated Trump by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin in 2020, which numerous investigations and lawsuits have upheld, and none of the participants in the recorded meeting claim the former president had won the election there but instead make plans for packing up campaign offices and writing final reports on their work, and Iverson at one point concedes the margin of defeat.” [Raw Story, 2/3/23]
