Written by Craig Ardolino

Trump No Longer Wants Your Vote?

I’ve been bothered ever since I heard Trump proudly boasting that he doesn’t need any more votes and that after this year, no one would have to vote again. It reminded me of a leaked audio of Steve Bannon recorded before the 2020 election at the end of October but only surfaced later in January 2021.

Steve Bannon’s full Quote: “And what Trump’s going to do is just declare victory, right? He’s going to declare victory. But that doesn’t mean he’s the winner. He’s just going to say he’s the winner. The Democrats, more of our people, vote early that count. Theirs vote by mail. And so they’re going to have a natural disadvantage, and Trump is going to take advantage of that; that’s our strategy. So when you wake up Wednesday morning, it will be a firestone. We are going to have antifa crazy, the media crazy, the courts will be crazy, and Trump is going to be sitting there mocking, tweeting shit out. You lose! I’m the winner! I’m the king! He’ll be going to say: Where’s Hunter? Hunter on a crack pipe. I mean, he’ll be because then it doesn’t matter. Remember, here’s the thing. After that, Trump never has to go to a voter again. He’s going to fire the FBI director, he’ll say, fuck you. How about that? Because he’s never going to, he’s done his last election. Oh he’s going to be off the chase. He’s going to be crazy. Also, if Trump loses by ten or eleven o’clock at night, it will be crazier. No, ’cause you just sit right there and said they stole it. I’m directing the attorney general to shut down all ballot places and all 50 states. It’s gonna be enough. He’s not going out to either. If Biden’s winning, Trump is going to do some crazy shit.”

In this instance, I acknowledge that the speaker was Bannon and not Donald Trump. However, it’s important to note that Bannon served as Trump’s campaign CEO and later as his “chief strategist and senior counselor” in the Trump administration, which suggests that he had insider knowledge. Additionally, Trump’s decision to pardon Bannon as one of his final acts in office further emphasizes their connection. Regardless, please pay attention to the highlighted sections, and let’s shift our focus to the present.

On July 25, 2024, on Fox and Friends, Donald Trump stated, “My instruction: We don’t need the votes; I have so many votes.”

On July 26, 2024, Trump stood proudly on stage before his supporters and said, “You won’t have to do it anymore. It’ll be fixed; it’ll be fine; you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

Later, in an interview with Laura Ingraham for Fox News, Trump repeated his claim. “This was a crowd that liked me a lot … and they’re treated very badly by this administration, OK? That statement is very simple. I said, vote for me; you’re not going to have to do it ever again. It’s true. This time vote, I’ll straighten out the country, you won’t have to vote again. Also, I won’t need your vote.”

In the United States, a democratic system governs the process of election officials. To secure victory in an election, candidates must strive to amass as many votes as possible. Widening the vote margin diminishes the probability of the opposing party requesting a recount. Therefore, in the realm of US politics, it becomes imperative for candidates to outperform their opponents decisively.

But Trump said, “I don’t need any votes. We got all the votes we need. I don’t need votes. All I want to do is make sure that we guard our vote it’s guarded we stop the steal, OK you know there’s a lot of expressions I want the vote guarded I want the steal stopped because don’t need the votes we have the votes we have more votes than we need.”

These two chilling comments directly relate to what Steve Bannon said in 2020. Trump continues to make the same declaration at various gatherings, emphasizing to his followers that there is no need for them to be concerned about voting for him. This is a significant departure from his demands for votes in 2016, when he was leading all the polls and the entire nation was energized and eager for him to assume the presidency.

In 2024, with such a narrow margin between the two parties, he no longer needs more votes. Is that plausible? I started researching his bold statements and uncovered a grim reality. The plan is so abstract and defiantly un-American that it shook me to my core, making me realize just how important this upcoming election is for the future of our country.

Consider this: why would someone announce that they no longer need people’s votes, unless they no longer value the importance of voting? It seems like they believe they can win in November without winning the votes. From what we know about Trump, he tends to boast and let slip important information in his ramblings. He seems to believe that winning the election isn’t necessary for him to regain power. He seems to think something other than votes will determine whether he returns to the White House. An article published in Rolling Stone on July 29, 2024, claims that 70 Republican election officials in swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania are election denialists and loyal to Donald Trump. These election denialists are allegedly working to ensure that the election results, regardless of the outcome, are not certified in these states to manipulate the American people’s votes.

This is not a conspiracy theory. This is not an attempt to scare people into voting for the blue party. This is a real plan. After Trump’s significant loss in 2020, the Republicans developed a sinister strategy to manipulate votes. In 2022, Republican members of the Board of Elections refused to certify election results in North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico. Some admitted to refusing certification for political reasons. Eventually, all the 2022 election results were certified, sometimes under a court order. While the votes were ultimately counted, this was essentially a test to assess the time it took for the courts to decide and to gauge the public’s reaction. Timing is crucial for this plan to succeed.

That was not the only test. On August 8, 2024, in Georgia, a new rule was passed with a 3-2 vote, backed by Republicans. The new state rule allows local boards to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying election results. This rule is intended to delay the certification process for as long as possible, raising concerns about the potential length of the delay.

The winner of an election is typically announced by the end of election day or within a few days if the race is very close. Each state has its own process for counting and certifying votes, which can take anywhere from one to thirty days after the election. If Republicans enact their plan, the first delay would push the announcement to midnight on December 5th. This would provide ample time to sow discord within the population if the five listed states refuse to declare a winner on election night.

What happens in 2024 if Vice President Harris wins the Electoral College or if Democrats legitimately increase their lead in the Senate, only to see Republicans refuse to certify those tallies?

The rule of law states that state legislatures cannot overrule the will of the voters. However, if the vote is not officially certified, the voters have no official will. American law specifies that elections must be certified by certain dates. If they are not certified, the lower courts and the conservative imbalance on the Supreme Court could become involved. It is unclear what the outcome would be – would the courts consider the popular vote, or would Trump’s conservative-leaning appointees grant him an unfair win?

Either way, the outcome could lead to political violence in the country, which hasn’t been seen since the days of the Civil War. This is what Kevin Roberts, the former President of the Heritage Foundation, indicated in an interview.

Kevin Roberts said, “that we are in the process of the Second American Revolution which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

The plans have already been made, and the manual for Donald Trump has already been written and released as Project 2025. A video captured on April 21, 2022, shows former U.S. President Donald Trump praising the formation of plans for Project 2025 at an event for the initiative’s leaders, The Heritage Foundation.

At this point, you may be asking why Republicans would do this to circumvent our sacred Constitution. The truth is Republicans know they lack the support to win majority support in a fair contest because their vision for America does not align with what most Americans want. While it is okay to have the world’s richest people housed in America, it isn’t advantageous to continuously benefit them with tax breaks to enhance their portfolios. The only way they can win is by gerrymandering, passing bills to restrict voting among young people and non-whites while trying to ensure white older men are mainly represented in the House, Senate, and Electoral College.

Stanford Law has developed a roadmap to help election officials, candidates, and advocates address potential attacks on the certification process in these states. You can find the PDF link in the citations below. It is of utmost importance for American citizens to turn out in large numbers and cast their votes in favor of Democratic candidates during the upcoming elections. By actively participating in the electoral process, we can secure a substantial win for the Democratic Party across eight pivotal battleground states. Not only will this strategy widen the gap and supply ample evidence of who the clear winner is to any potential Supreme Court intervention, but it will also enable us to influence the direction and policies of the government in a manner that aligns with our values and priorities.

This upcoming election is a crucial one that will determine whether America continues as a free country or falls under a dictatorship. It’s not something to take lightly. Since 1954, over 110 million Americans (110,226,723 to be exact) have served in our military with the goal of preserving America’s freedom and democracy as a model for the world. Tragically, about 1 million of these brave individuals have lost their lives in defense of our democracy.

Are we willing to discard all of America’s progress to re-elect Donald Trump? The man who allowed rioters to vandalize the Capitol, resulting in the death and injuries of Capitol Police and with intentions of harming selected leaders and the Vice President? He passively observed this unfold for seven hours before eventually urging the rioters to go home, which they promptly did. He had the authority to intervene immediately but chose not to act. Ultimately, he expressed gratitude to them for their support. Is that the man we want to see re-elected?

We have a decision to make. My decision was to become more politically involved this year, to post my thoughts and have conversations with people. Many people out there may have the same problems that I have when trying to logically discuss what is happening with family and friends. For example, I cannot talk to my family about anything political because they are so entrenched in the alternative world of Fox News and other conservative media that they automatically discard any information that counters their beliefs, regardless of the facts. Trump and the Republican party have indeed created a cult.

Still, I cannot give up no matter how heartbreaking this journey is—another reason I have chosen to add citations to my newer posts. Maybe, just maybe, I can make someone think just a little bit, just enough to click on a citation and begin to read and see (in the case of videos) a glimmer of the real world. I will not lie. I have never been terrified about the future of America, but I am now. If Trump regains office in November, from all of the evidence I have seen and all of what my intuition tells me, he will forever change the American freedoms we love, and we will become ruled by a Dictator. As a registered Republican I will be voting for the Harris team, knowing that in four years, a better candidate may emerge to lead the Republican party. I dearly hope others follow suit; our democracy is on the ballot this year.

Citations:

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