Trump's claim of election fraud in California doesn't even make sense [View all]

Trump’s claim of election fraud in California doesn’t even make sense

https://www.ms.now/opinion/trump-california-election-results-fraud-pratt

Jun. 5, 2026, 11:36 AM EDT
By
Paul Waldman

Anyone who played youth sports knows the type: The whiny kid of marginal skill who constantly complained to the referee over imaginary fouls, then when they lost, shouted, “No fair! This is bull! We should have won!” We call that person a sore loser, and everyone generally dislikes them.

The president of the United States may be the sorest loser in the history of American politics, so much so that he starts his sore losing even before he has lost. With the votes still being counted after the California primaries, Trump went on one of his late-night posting whine-a-thons, saying the election was being stolen from his chosen candidates.

“The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES. Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS,” he typed (or shouted into his phone) just before 1 a.m. on Thursday. He followed that up a few minutes later with this: “There’s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Why the vote counting DELAY???”

There is, of course, no evidence of anything fraudulent happening, but what’s remarkable is that Trump’s favored candidates aren’t even losing. And the California “jungle primary” system — in which all candidates run together in the primary, and then the top two finishers go on to the general election regardless of party — gives Republicans an advantage they wouldn’t otherwise enjoy.