According to several sources familiar with the conversations, there have been discussions within the campaign to have Trump declare an early victory on election night, as he did in 2020.
Trump could prematurely claim victory sometime after the first tranche of ballots comes in on Tuesday and well before any official calls are made. The first results could trend Republican in key battleground states and then shift Democratic as absentee and mail-in ballots are assessed, especially in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Therefore, Trump could take advantage of the appearance that he may have the lead ahead of a shift as later ballots are counted, and allow him to justify to his base, and muddy the waters, with unfounded claims that the election is being taken away from him.
During a gaggle with reporters on Monday, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, did not rule out the possibility that Trump could declare victory on election night. He was asked by CBS News’ Olivia Rinaldi if Trump would come out and declare victory on election night, and Miller said, “We won’t call it until we’ve crossed 270.” Rinaldi asked by whose measure will they consider reaching 270, and Miller said again, “Once we have crossed 270 then we’ll feel confident in it.”
Speaking from the cab of a garbage truck on Oct. 30, Trump was asked if he anticipates declaring victory on election night. “I hope that we’re gonna declare a victory,” Trump said. “I think we’re going to have a big enough victory to maybe have it that night. You should always have it be” that night.
Trump allies like Steven Bannon have also called for the former president to “address the nation” by 11 pm on election night to “explain to the American people where the voting is.”
Trump declared victory in 2020 around 2:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 4, although he had not won. President Biden was projected the winner on Nov. 7 after winning Pennsylvania.
The results could take a while to come in for several reasons, including different methods across states for counting mail-in and early voting.
– Olivia Rinaldi, Fin Gomez and Robert Costa
