In this statement attributed to Donald J. Trump, he asserts that Joe Biden received 15 million more votes in 2020 than Barack Obama did in 2012 (81 million vs. 65.9 million). Trump further claims Biden “beat” Obama in every swing state among Black voters despite those voters supposedly “hating him,” concluding that the 2020 election was an “illegal scam/hoax.”
Summary:
Joe Biden did indeed receive approximately 15 million more votes than Barack Obama in 2012. However, this difference is attributable to population growth, record voter turnout, and changes in voting behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no verified evidence that the 2020 election was fraudulent or illegal. Claims that Black voters “hate” Biden or that he “beat” Obama in every swing state’s Black vote are unsupported by evidence.
Accuracy and Truthfulness of Claims
- Vote totals comparison:
- Joe Biden received about 81.3 million votes in 2020.
- Barack Obama received about 65.9 million votes in 2012.
- The numerical difference is accurate (≈15.4 million votes) (Federal Election Commission, 2021).
However, this increase reflects:- Higher total voter turnout (159 million in 2020 vs. 129 million in 2012).
- Expanded mail-in voting due to the pandemic.
- Population growth and heightened political engagement.
Verdict: Accurate in number, misleading in implication.
- Claim about swing states and Black vote:
- Exit polls and Pew Research analysis show Biden won about 87–90% of the Black vote nationwide, similar to Obama’s 2012 levels (Pew Research Center, 2021).
- There is no data suggesting Biden “beat” Obama among Black voters in every swing state.
- The claim that “Black voters hate him” is baseless and contradicts voting data.
Verdict: False.
- Claim that the 2020 election was an illegal scam/hoax:
- Over 60 court cases challenging the 2020 results were dismissed, including by Trump-appointed judges and the U.S. Supreme Court (U.S. Courts, 2020–2021).
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) declared the 2020 election “the most secure in American history” (CISA, 2020).
- Multiple bipartisan audits confirmed the results in all swing states.
Verdict: False.
Logical Fallacies and Other Elements
- False equivalence: Comparing total votes between different election years without accounting for population and turnout differences.
- Appeal to incredulity: Suggesting that Biden’s win is impossible simply because it seems unlikely.
- Overgeneralization: Claiming “Black voters hate him” without evidence.
- Conspiratorial thinking: Declaring the election an “illegal scam/hoax” despite exhaustive evidence to the contrary.
- Lack of self-awareness: Ignoring the role of mail-in voting expansion, pandemic-related turnout, and demographic changes.
- Racial stereotyping: Implying a monolithic view of Black voters’ attitudes toward Biden.
Conclusion:
The numerical comparison between Obama’s and Biden’s vote totals is technically correct but misleading without context. Claims about Black voters’ attitudes and Biden’s swing-state performance are false. The assertion that the 2020 election was an “illegal scam/hoax” is a debunked conspiracy theory with no factual basis.
References (APA-style):
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2020, November 12). Joint statement from elections infrastructure government coordinating council & the election infrastructure sector coordinating executive committees. U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
- Federal Election Commission. (2021). Federal elections 2020: Election results for the U.S. president, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Pew Research Center. (2021, June 30). Behind Biden’s 2020 victory: An examination of the 2020 electorate, based on validated voters.
- United States Courts. (2020–2021). Review of post-election litigation and rulings regarding the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Overall Rating:
- Factual Accuracy: ❌ Mostly false and misleading
- Presence of Conspiracy Theory: ✅ Yes
- Evidence-based Reasoning: ❌ No
- Intent to Mislead: Likely