Trump Fills Government with Supporters of 2020 Election Fraud Claims

Former president has appointed many who backed his false 2020 election allegations to key roles

Published on Mar. 1, 2026

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Former President Donald Trump has long promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, designed to explain his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. Now, Trump has filled his new government with people who supported his false claims of widespread voter fraud, raising concerns about the integrity of future elections.

Why it matters

Trump's appointments of election fraud proponents to influential positions could undermine public trust in the electoral process and make it harder to counter misinformation about the integrity of US elections going forward.

The details

Many of the individuals Trump has appointed to key government roles, including in the Justice Department and election oversight bodies, have publicly backed his unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was "stolen" from him through widespread voter fraud. Their presence in positions of power could enable the spread of election conspiracy theories and make it more difficult to counter such misinformation.

  • Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden on November 3, 2020.
  • Trump has been making false claims of widespread voter fraud since shortly after the 2020 election.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden but has continued to promote false claims of widespread voter fraud.

Joe Biden

The current president of the United States who defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

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What they’re saying

“The 2020 election was the most secure in American history. There is simply no credible evidence that the election was 'stolen' from former President Trump.”

— Chris Krebs, Former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (New York Times)

“We cannot allow the integrity of our elections to be compromised by the spread of baseless conspiracy theories and misinformation.”

— Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General (Washington Post)

What’s next

Experts warn that Trump's continued promotion of election fraud claims, and his appointments of like-minded individuals to key government roles, could make it harder to counter misinformation and maintain public trust in the electoral process ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The takeaway

Trump's actions raise serious concerns about the potential for future election integrity issues, as his allies in positions of power could enable the spread of conspiracy theories and make it more difficult to uphold the democratic process.