Ron DeSantis (left), Donald Trump.Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty; Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Ron DeSantisnow says he agrees that former PresidentDonald Trump"lost" the 2020 election.
“Of course he lost,” DeSantis said of Trump, whom he is currently squaring off against for the 2024 Republican nomination, in an interview withNBC News. “Joe Biden’s the president.”
While a factual assessment of the winner and loser of a presidential race would not normally make headlines, Trump himself has refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, in which helost both the popular and electoral vote.
Supporters of Donald Trump attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, to denounce the results of the presidential election. The rally later turned into a riot as protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol.Spencer Platt/Getty
A recentCNN pollshows that some 69% of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents view Biden’s win as illegitimate (up from 63% earlier this year), despite that no proof has been found to back up Trump’s repeated claims of voter fraud.
Evenconservative auditsof the 2020 election found no proof of voter fraud, and both federal and state election officials — plusTrump’s own attorney general, a Republican himself — found no evidence of election fraud.
And yet, many of Trump’s Republican rivals for the 2024 presidential nomination have stopped short of saying he lost, even as the former president was recently indicted for his efforts to overturn the election in his favor.
Former President Donald Trump arrives at a D.C. airport on Aug. 3, 2023, ahead of his arraignment on federal charges related to the aftermath of the 2020 election.AP Photo/Alex Brandon
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The most recentindictmentwas the third for Trump since he has left office. The former president was charged with one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
The indictment alleges that Trump, after losing the 2020 presidential election, “was determined to remain in power.” The indictment also listsseveral unnamed co-conspirators, including four attorneys, a Justice Department official, and a political consultant who “helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification” of votes.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
Despite being accused of 78 criminal offenses this year, Trump has beentrouncing DeSantis in the polls.
source: people.com
