Although more than three months remain before the 2024 Iowa caucus kicks into gear, former President Donald Trump has already begun accusing his political rivals of cheating.
In a video posted on the Republican frontrunner’s Instagram page on Tuesday evening, Mr Trump said, “You know the other side does cheat, and we’re not gonna let that happen.”
He encouraged Iowa caucus-goers to “do whatever is necessary” on 15 January to “make America great again.”
“If you do, we will win. We will win big and that’s what you have to do,” the former president added.
Mr Trump is no stranger to bogus election fraud claims.
He has frequently alleged that the 2020 election he lost to President Joe Biden was “stolen” and “rigged.” For the 2020 Arizona state count, he claimed that “over 36,000 ballots were illegally cast by non-citizens.” Similarly, in Pennsylvania, he said more than 1 million votes “were created out of thin air.”
But even before making his infamous 2020 election fraud claims, in 2016, he took to social media to claim that Texas Sen Ted Cruz “stole” the Iowa Republican caucuses. Sen Cruz took in almost 28 per cent of the vote, compared to Mr Trump’s 24 per cent, according to a New York Times article at the time.
Also ahead of the 2016 election before he faced Democratic favourite Hillary Clinton, he claimed “there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!”
Despite his history of unsubstantiated claims — and ongoing legal battles — heading into the 2024 primaries, the former president holds a massive lead over the other Republican candidates. He currently carries 57.6 per cent of the vote, while the next closest candidate, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, carries a mere 14 per cent, according to FiveThirtyEight.
The 2024 GOP field is dwindling. Mr Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out of the race over the weekend, joining former Texas Congressman Will Hurd and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
