As the election results unfold on Tuesday night, Donald Trump is anticipated to follow his familiar playbook of seizing on any minor mishaps at polling sites and blowing them out of proportion to support his narrative of election fraud.
One such instance occurred earlier tonight when the former president claimed reports of massive fraud in Philadelphia. However, local officials have refuted these claims, stating that there is no basis for such allegations.
Unlike in 2020, Trump no longer wields control over the Justice Department or high-ranking officials to exert pressure, as he did with former Attorney General Bill Barr. Barr himself characterized Trump's post-election efforts in 2020 as akin to playing a game of 'Whac-A-Mole,' with none of the most extreme fraud allegations proving to be true.
Furthermore, Trump will not have the company of Rudy Giuliani, whom aides described as one of his 'worst influences' in 2020, during tonight's election watch. Giuliani is notably absent from Mar-a-Lago and was expected to be at a convention center instead.
