Eleanor Finch
Former US President Donald Trump faced backlash from both sides of the political divide after a controversial social media post regarding the US Constitution. Trump's post called for the termination of parts of the Constitution in response to his unfounded claims of a stolen 2020 election. The post was made on Elon Musk's Truth Social, a platform that has since been criticised for its role in free speech suppression.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 4th December 2022 |
| Reason | To overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election |
| Content | "A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great 'Founders' did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!" |
| Platform | Truth Social |
| Response | Rebuke from officials in both parties; Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he "vehemently" disagrees and "absolutely" condemns the remarks; Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, R-New York, objected to the remarks, stating, "The Constitution is set for a reason, to protect the rights of every American"; White House spokesman Andrew Bates responded, "Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation, and should be universally condemned. The Constitution brings the American people together — regardless of party — and elected leaders swear to uphold it. You cannot only love America when you win." |
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What You'll Learn
Trump's call to 'terminate' parts of the Constitution
Former US President Donald Trump faced backlash from both parties after calling for the "termination" of parts of the US Constitution. In a post on his Truth Social media platform, Trump claimed that the 2020 election was stolen and that this allowed for the termination of "all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution".
Trump's comments came after Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk, said he would reveal how Twitter engaged in "free speech suppression" leading up to the 2020 election. Files released on Friday focused on Twitter's confused response to a story about Hunter Biden, but they did not show evidence of a widespread conspiracy to limit the story's content. There was, however, some chaos, confusion, and disagreement among Twitter employees about the platform's reasoning for censoring it.
In response to Trump's comments, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said:
> Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation, and should be universally condemned. The Constitution brings the American people together — regardless of party — and elected leaders swear to uphold it.
Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he "vehemently" disagrees and "absolutely" condemns the remarks, adding that they should be a factor as Republicans decide who should lead their party in 2024. Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, R-New York, also objected to the remarks, saying:
> The Constitution is set for a reason, to protect the rights of every American. I think the former president would be well-advised to focus on the future, if he is going to run for president again.
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Trump's claim of a massive fraud in the 2020 election
Former US President Donald Trump has faced widespread criticism and rebuke for his claims of a "massive fraud" in the 2020 election, which he asserted was "stolen" from him by Joe Biden and the Democrats. Despite over 60 failed legal challenges and a lack of credible evidence, Trump has continued to propagate this narrative. In a statement on his Truth Social media platform, Trump wrote, ""A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great 'Founders' did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!"
Trump's comments have sparked outrage from officials in both parties, with many condemning his remarks as extreme and a threat to the foundation of American democracy. Incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries described Trump's statement as "strange and extreme," while Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, stated his strong disagreement and condemnation of the remarks.
Trump's assertion of election fraud in 2020 is not an isolated incident. There is evidence that he attempted to manipulate the 2020 results in Georgia, as revealed by a recording of him asking Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes. Additionally, his own attorney, Rudi Giuliani, made baseless allegations of election fraud in Georgia, resulting in him paying damages to two election workers.
Trump's claims of massive fraud in the 2020 election have been consistently refuted and deemed baseless. His comments targeting the Constitution and promoting conspiracy theories about the election have further fueled concerns about his commitment to democratic norms and the rule of law.
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The White House's response to Trump's comments
The White House has responded to former President Donald Trump's comments about "terminating" parts of the U.S. Constitution. In a statement, spokesman Andrew Bates said, "You cannot only love America when you win." He further added that the American Constitution is a "sacrosanct document" that has guaranteed freedom and the rule of law in the country for over 200 years. Bates emphasized that attacking the Constitution is "anathema to the soul of our nation" and should be "universally condemned."
Trump's comments faced rebuke from officials in both parties, including Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. Turner said he "vehemently" disagrees and "absolutely" condemns the remarks, stating that they should be considered as Republicans decide their party's leader for 2024. Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, R-New York, also objected to Trump's remarks, suggesting that the focus should be on the future rather than the "grievances of prior elections."
Trump's call for the "termination" of Constitutional rules regarding elections came after the release of information about Twitter's role in suppressing a story about Hunter Biden, son of President Biden. In a post on his Truth Social media platform, Trump claimed that "a Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution." He further stated that the "Founders did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections."
Trump's comments sparked widespread criticism and concern, with many seeing it as an attack on the foundation of American democracy and the rule of law. The White House's response, delivered by Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, reflected the seriousness with which they viewed Trump's statements, emphasizing the enduring importance of the Constitution in safeguarding Americans' freedoms and the nation's commitment to the rule of law.
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Trump's Truth Social post
In a Truth Social post, former US President Donald Trump called for the termination of the Constitution's rules regarding elections. He justified this by claiming that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.
"A massive fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution," Trump wrote. "Our great 'Founders' did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!"
Trump's post came after Twitter released the "Twitter Files" on free speech suppression, which focused on the controversy surrounding Twitter's limiting of posts about a story on President Biden's son, Hunter Biden. The New York Post published a story in October 2020, alleging that Hunter Biden used his influence to connect a Ukrainian businessman with his father. Twitter blocked users from sharing the link to the story on its platform, citing concerns about the authenticity of the laptop's contents.
Trump's comments received widespread criticism from both parties. Deputy White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates responded, saying, "Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation, and should be universally condemned... The Constitution brings the American people together—regardless of party—and elected leaders swear to uphold it."
Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he "vehemently" disagreed and "absolutely" condemned the remarks. He added that Republicans would have to consider such statements when deciding on their party's frontrunner for 2024. Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, R-New York, also objected, stating that it was time to focus on the future instead of "the grievances of prior elections."
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Republican lawmakers' reactions to Trump's comments
Former President Donald Trump faced backlash from Republican lawmakers after he called for the "'termination' of parts of the Constitution over his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Trump, who had announced his 2024 presidential bid, made the statement on his Truth Social media platform.
Several Republican lawmakers publicly denounced Trump's comments. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he "vehemently disagrees" and "absolutely condemns" the remarks. He added that Trump's statement should be considered when deciding who should lead the Republican Party in 2024. Rep.-elect Mike Lawler of New York also objected to Trump's remarks, stating that the Constitution is in place to protect the rights of every American. He advised Trump to focus on the future if he intends to run for president again.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota tweeted that as elected officials, they take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. He emphasized that no one is above the Constitution and that anyone aspiring to lead the country must commit to protecting it rather than threatening to terminate it. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also took to Twitter to condemn Trump's comments, describing his suggestion to terminate the Constitution as a betrayal of the Oath of Office and an affront to the Republic.
In addition to Republican lawmakers, the White House also criticized Trump's statements. Spokesman Andrew Bates asserted that the American Constitution is a sacrosanct document that guarantees freedom and the rule of law. He stated that attacking the Constitution goes against the very soul of the nation.
While most Republican lawmakers denounced Trump's comments, some remained neutral or avoided directly addressing the issue. Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio, for instance, did not rule out supporting Trump if he won the Republican primary for the 2024 election. Joyce stated that he would support whoever the Republican nominee is, regardless of Trump's controversial statements.
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Frequently asked questions
Following the release of the "Twitter Files", Trump called for the termination of parts of the Constitution in relation to the 2020 election, which he claimed was stolen.
The "Twitter Files" were a series of internal Twitter communications released by Elon Musk, which revealed the company's confused response to a story about Hunter Biden.
Trump faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries described Trump’s statement as "strange and extreme", while Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio "vehemently" disagreed and "absolutely" condemned the remarks. White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said: "Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation, and should be universally condemned."
