Trump Lies Again Claiming He Won 2016 Popular Vote

Donald Trump

Citing a conservative group known for spreading false conspiracy theories, Donald Trump again claimed his 2016 electoral was "even bigger than thought" as he accused Google of "manipulating" votes in the last presidential election.

"Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election!" Trump tweeted. "This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than thought!"

Trump tagged Judicial Watch, which has a long history of targeting Democrats via unsubstantiated lawsuits.

However, study after study, investigation after investigation, show that no tangible voter fraud has ever been found, let alone millions and millions of manipulated votes.

As has been well-documented, Hillary Clinton lost the electoral college to Trump 304 to 227. But, due to high population blue states like California and New York, he garnered nearly 3 million more votes than Trump.

My question is: if the election was rigged in Hillary's favor by such powerful interests like Google and Russia (as Trump claims), why isn't she president?

Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election! This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than thought! @JudicialWatch

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2019

Even Hillary Clinton clapped back at the nonsense:

The debunked study you’re referring to was based on 21 undecided voters. For context that’s about half the number of people associated with your campaign who have been indicted. https://t.co/0zHnWvGjSv

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 19, 2019

When I was in my polling station I saw Google walking around pressing buttons on the voting machines. Wondered what he was doing there. 16M you say? So this Google dude manipulated over 1M votes an hour on election day. If he's that fast you should hire him to count your lies.

— "CRAZY" Facts Do Matter (@WilDonnelly) August 19, 2019

This comes in a long string of allegations of election fraud by Trump.

Last week, at a New Hampshire rally, the Donald told his followers that voter fraud was to blame for his losing the Granite State’s four electoral votes in 2016. He told the crowd in Manchester, "It was taken away from us."

And over the weekend, he insinuated to reporters in New Jersey that undocumented immigrants were to blame saying “many, many people voted that shouldn't have been voted,” coming back repeatedly to “some people voted many times.”

But Ellen Weintraub, the chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission, quickly dispatched a letter to Trump calling for him “to provide any evidence” that could back up those statements.

“To put it in terms a former casino operator should understand: There comes a time when you need to lay your cards on the table or fold,” wrote Weintraub.

"Facts matter. And people of America need to be able to believe what their leaders tell them,” Weintraub said Monday.

He'll never get over losing by 3 million votes, even with Russia's help.

— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) August 19, 2019

Oregon Becomes 15th State To Promise Electoral Votes To Winner Of Popular Vote

Donald Trump

Oregon has become the 15th state to join the National Popular Vote compact promising its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote.

From The Hill:

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) on Wednesday signed a bill into law that will give the state’s Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote.

“I think it’s really important to be a part of the national conversation regarding the presidential election,” Brown said Wednesday as she signed the bill into law, according to The Oregonian. “I think it will encourage candidates to spend more time in states like ours, speaking directly to our voters.”

The compact will go into effect only if enough states join to bring their total Electoral College votes to 270. Oregon’s addition of seven Electoral College votes brings the current total to 196.

Brown said she thinks Oregon being a part of the compact will compel presidential candidates to spend more time in all the states, particularly hers.

"I think it will encourage candidates to spend more time in states like ours, candidates who are running for president speaking directly to our voters," she said, according to CNN. "I think it will help encourage them to talk about issues that ... Oregonians care more about. And I think it's really important for Oregon to be part of the national conversation regarding the presidential election."

Brown’s signing comes after the Democratic-led Oregon House passed the measure last week largely along party lines.

In the history of the United States, five candidates have become president without coming out on top in the popular vote.

Most recently, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in the 2016 election by 3 million votes but lost the race due to the Electoral College.

Nevada: Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Award Electoral Votes To Winner Of Popular Vote

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak

The Nevada Independent reports that Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has vetoed a bill that would have pledged the Silver State's six electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote for president.

AB186 proved a divisive one in the Legislature that elicited some of the closest votes in the session. Proponents argued that it would ensure every vote counted equally, while opponents said they feared it would diminish the relevance of Nevada and other small states.

If approved, the bill would have tied Nevada to a compact of states agreeing to pledge their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, but would only take effect until enough states had joined the compact to eclipse the 270 electoral vote threshold.

So far, 15 states with a total of 189 electoral votes have joined the compact, with Colorado, Delaware and New Mexico approving laws to join the initiative.

While I'm a proud Nevadan, I'm disappointed in Sisolak's veto.

New Mexico Becomes 14th State To Pledge Electoral Votes To Winner Of Popular Vote

New Mexico has become the 14th state to join a campaign pledging to award its electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote in future presidential elections if enough states sign on.

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is a response to Hillary Clinton's winning the popular vote of the 2016 presidential election but denied the White House by the Electoral College.

Clinton won the popular vote by over 3 million votes, but Trump took the prize with 306 electoral votes versus Hillary's 232.

So far, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state and the District of Columbia have all joined the movement.

According to CNN, "states would not shift their vote allocations until their combined electoral votes equal 270, enough to decide a presidential election."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Calls For Abolishing The Electoral College

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told the audience at a CNN town hall last night that the electoral college should be eliminated and the popular vote should determine the presidency.

“Come a general election, presidential candidates don’t come to places like Mississippi,” she told the crowd in Mississippi. “They also don’t come to places like California and Massachusetts, right? Because we’re not the battleground states.”

"My view is: every vote matters," she continued. "And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting, and that means get rid of the electoral college."

The presidential hopeful also called for repealing all of the voter suppression laws in the country.

2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren calls for abolishing the Electoral College and moving to a national popular vote: “Every vote matters” #WarrenTownHall https://t.co/pPFMVywETf pic.twitter.com/yy0J0HgAjc

— CNN (@CNN) March 19, 2019

President Trump: I Won By The Biggest Margin Since Reagan (So I Am Told)

President Trump has promoted the idea that his win in the presidential campaign was "the largest margin since Ronald Reagan."

He was asked about that today at a press conference.

When presented with actual electoral votes by previous presidents since Reagan (Obama 333 votes, George H.W. Bush 426 votes), Trump backtracked by saying "I was given that information."

Watch below:

President Trump's victory was not the biggest Electoral College win since Reagan https://t.co/LyjXzxAwZu pic.twitter.com/M3gRpjUPyJ

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 16, 2017

Trump also declared during the presser: “The leaks are real. The news is fake.”

I'm not sure how, if the "leaks" are real - the information leaked is real - how are the news stories about those leaks "fake?"

President Trump: “The leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake.”

*** Both. Of. Those. Things. Cannot. Be. True. At. The. Same. Time. *** pic.twitter.com/trIcCuU8Sq

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 16, 2017

News Round-Up: January 5, 2017

Some news items you may have missed:

• Wild and woofy Prince Harry covers Town & Country for the magazine's "Hottest Bachelors" issue for his work on behalf of wild animals in Africa.

• Former American Idol contestant Bo Bice literally cries over being called "white boy" at a Georgia Popeye's Fried Chicken restaurant. Seriously?

• More than 50 Electoral College voters were sat illegally which could delay ratifying Donald Trump's election results.

• Just a day after Megyn Kelly announced her move to NBC News, former Fox News host Greta Van Susteren shares that she is heading to MSNBC to head up a new 6PM show, For The Record with Greta Van Susteren.

• British Prime Minister Theresa May has sent two senior aides on a quiet mission to attempt to improve her already frosty relationship with Donald Trump.

• But enough about "frosty" subjects, let's take a look at these hottie Australian firefighters :)

Celebs Ask Electoral College Members To "Vote Their Conscience"

Celebrities unite for this message asking the members of the Electoral College to "vote their conscience" on December 19th, meaning any "qualified" candidate for president.

They make it clear they’re not advocating a vote for Clinton, just “any eligible person” they trust to be competent as president.

From Unite For America:

They're not asking you to vote for Hillary. 37 Electors can be American heroes by voting their conscience for a real leader. Find information for vigils and local rallies here.

Thank you to Martin Sheen, Debra Messing, James Cromwell, BD Wong, Noah Wyle, Freda Payne, Bob Odenkirk, J. Smith Cameron, Michael Urie, Moby, Mike Farrell, Loretta Swit, Richard Schiff, Christine Lahti, Steven Pasquale, Emily Tyra, Talia Balsam and so many more who lent their time and voice to create this message of unity.

The Electors Trust provides free and strictly confidential legal support to any Elector who wishes to vote their conscience. Visit http://www.electorstrust.org/.

To be clear, IF enough members of the Electoral College did shift their votes in such manner that Donald Trump did not have the requisite 270 votes, the decision would go to the Republican controlled House of Representatives.

Even if that were to happen, I don't see the Republicans in the House not choosing Trump.

News Round-Up: December 14, 2016

Some news items you might have missed:

• The brilliant indie film Moonlight received 6 Golden Globe nominations which means even more of the world will be exposed to one of the best movies I've ever seen. If you haven't seen it yet, GO!

• Scientists are downloading and copying government climate data as quickly as possible out of fears a Trump administration might destroy any info showing the reality of climate change.

• Politico is reporting that upwards of 20 GOP Electoral College members are considering not casting their votes for Donald Trump on December 19th. The most EC members to change their votes in one year was 6 in 1808.

• More from the Electoral College - 40 members have asked for an intelligence briefing before December 19th regarding information that Russia actively moved to help elect Donald Trump.

• Oklahoma lawmakers have approved a bill that would require businesses to post anti-abortion signs in their bathrooms.

• Following an acclaimed 4 night concert production at City Center this past October, Jake Gyllenhaal heads back to Broadway in Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday In The Park With George for ten weeks at the Hudson Theater.

Texas GOP Presidential Elector: "Why I Will Not Cast My Electoral Vote for Donald Trump"

Powerful personal essay by Christopher Suprun for the New York Times.

In the op-ed, Suprun declares that as a Texas Republican firefighter who is a designated presidential elector for the Electoral College, he cannot vote for Donald Trump"

I am a Republican presidential elector, one of the 538 people asked to choose officially the president of the United States. Since the election, people have asked me to change my vote based on policy disagreements with Donald J. Trump. In some cases, they cite the popular vote difference. I do not think president-elects should be disqualified for policy disagreements. I do not think they should be disqualified because they won the Electoral College instead of the popular vote. However, now I am asked to cast a vote on Dec. 19 for someone who shows daily he is not qualified for the office.

Fifteen years ago, as a firefighter, I was part of the response to the Sept. 11 attacks against our nation. That attack and this year’s election may seem unrelated, but for me the relationship becomes clearer every day.

George W. Bush is an imperfect man, but he led us through the tragic days following the attacks. His leadership showed that America was a great nation. That was also the last time I remember the nation united. I watch Mr. Trump fail to unite America and drive a wedge between us.

Mr. Trump goes out of his way to attack the cast of “Saturday Night Live” for bias. He tweets day and night, but waited two days to offer sympathy to the Ohio State community after an attack there. He does not encourage civil discourse, but chooses to stoke fear and create outrage.

[snip]

Fifteen years ago, I swore an oath to defend my country and Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. On Dec. 19, I will do it again.

Donald Trump Claims He "Won" The Popular Vote

Donald Trump is so rattled by the idea of a recount of the vote in three battleground states that he began defending his own victory in the presidential election via Twitter.

Kellyanne Conway - this is where you take the Blackberry out of the Trumpster's tiny hands...

In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016

It would have been much easier for me to win the so-called popular vote than the Electoral College in that I would only campaign in 3 or 4--

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016

states instead of the 15 states that I visited. I would have won even more easily and convincingly (but smaller states are forgotten)!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016

Serious voter fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California - so why isn't the media reporting on this? Serious bias - big problem!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 28, 2016

Electoral College Math

Hillary Clinton Leads Popular Vote Tally By More Than One Million Votes

Heavy.com is reporting that, as of yesterday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular vote count has now exceeded one million votes.

The Cook Political Report and Dave Wasserman have compiled a continually updated popular vote tracker. Both candidates are still gaining votes as states count absentee and provisional ballots, millions of which were still uncounted after the election, especially in California.

Here are the updated popular vote totals as of November 15:

Clinton: 62,318,079
Trump: 61,166,063

That means Clinton now leads the popular vote by 1,152,016 votes and 47.8% to 46.9%.

The issue for Clinton, though, according to the Wasserman/Cook Political Report numbers: Trump leads in the swing states. That gave him the Electoral College by a 290-232 margin and made him president-elect. Defenders of the Electoral College say it forces candidates to compete for the hearts and minds of Americans in all states, giving all states a voice in the presidential election.

Clinton’s vote total is a historic achievement. Clinton now has the third highest number of votes of any presidential candidate in U.S. history (she also became the fourth presidential candidate to win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College). She is behind only Barack Obama’s two historic elections. However, she just surpassed the tally of George W. Bush.

Without the Electoral College, a few large cities and states (New York, L.A.), would determine every presidential election. Indeed, Clinton’s popular vote edge was boosted by millions from New York and California alone.

There are now calls to abolish the Electoral College in that more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump.

There is a petition over at Change.org with more than 2 million signatures calling for electors to defy the EC and vote for Hillary since she garnered more votes.

I don't see the EC going anywhere anytime soon. Especially with the Republican controlled Congress in office.

News Round-Up: November 15, 2016

Mark-Paul Gosselaar

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Mark-Paul Gosselaar beefed up for his new role as the captain of the first baseball team to hire a female pitcher on Fox’s Pitch. Batter up!

• Donald Trump announces the leader of a white nationalist movement to be chief strategist in the White House. What could possibly go wrong?

• Sen. Barbara Boxer files legislation to repeal the Electoral College as Hillary Clinton nears 1 million more votes than Donald Trump in presidential election.

• Gwen Ifill, co-host of PBS Newshour passes away at 61 after a battle with cancer. She will be missed - what a class act.

• Trump supporter shoves anti-Trump protester down stairs at peaceful rally in Ohio.

• RuPaul on the Trumpeter as prez:

As a kid, I couldn’t understand how the world could stand by and allow a Hitler to happen. Now I do.

— RuPaul (@RuPaul) November 11, 2016

Why Do We Even Have The Electoral College?