This weekend, all major news outlets projected that President-elect Joe Biden would win the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, bringing his number of electoral college votes above 270—the number needed to take the White House.
President Donald Trump is ramping up his attacks on the democratic process, falsely claiming that widespread voter fraud tipped the election to Biden. The Trump campaign has launched a number of legal battles in hopes of securing the presidency through the court system, but these efforts are largely expected to fail due to lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, the campaign is accusing the "fake news media" of prematurely calling a winner.
Trump Campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh attempted to compare the 2020 results to the 2000 election, where only 537 votes in Florida separated then-presidential nominees George W. Bush and Al Gore. The slim margin led to an extensive recount whose constitutionality was decided on partisan lines by the Supreme Court.
The Court ultimately ruled that the initial count could stand, effectively handing the presidency to Bush.
In a now-deleted tweet, Murtaugh posted a fake front page of the Washington Times with the headline "PRESIDENT GORE," falsely claiming that the Washington TImes had prematurely called the election for Gore.
It wasn't long before the paper fact-checked Murtaugh.
Those photos have been doctored. The Washington Times never ran a "President Gore" headline.
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) November 8, 2020
The actual headline read "DOWN TO THE WIRE" without actually calling a victor.
Is this real?
I found Washington Times this on eBay from the same date and all the stories are the same but says "Down to the Wire" not "President Gore."https://t.co/7w0F293Rx8 pic.twitter.com/50AEzmQ0yG
— andrew kaczynski🤔 (@KFILE) November 8, 2020
Check it out, the lede on Tim's newspaper saying Gore won mentions that Bush won. pic.twitter.com/pkbbAgVfME
— andrew kaczynski🤔 (@KFILE) November 8, 2020
People weren't surprised to find yet another Trump official spreading misinformation.
The projection is blatant. https://t.co/3fbZOZFmEs
— Juli Briskman (@julibriskman) November 9, 2020
Trump and his cronies lie. That's the only truth of it... https://t.co/TZQXQjhS4S
— Cyberspice #50 (@cyberspice) November 9, 2020
So, has @TimMurtaugh been fired? Hard to keep track of all the #GOPFraud https://t.co/uCna1vmIEj
— TenaciousT 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@Temocracy17) November 9, 2020
.@TimMurtaugh
DIRECTOR of Mis-communication 😂😂
— Sunflower| P28. 🎀 (@Sunshine4Love) November 9, 2020
Murtaugh's fake news. https://t.co/vvBW8OEdrb
— Ron Van Alstyne (@rvawebguy) November 9, 2020
How embarrassing @TimMurtaugh a known liar called out for his lies on social media 🤦🏽♀️ next time make sure ur lies can't be verified stupid https://t.co/ekpqsSv4M3
— Olga Aguirre (@olaguirre) November 8, 2020
The President's allies continue to run with the disinformation.
At the moment, Joe Biden is the next POTUS in the same way that Al Gore was the next POTUS.
You do remember President Gore, don't you?
— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) November 8, 2020
Bush took down Gore in 37 days...@realDonaldTrump will take down Biden in 20!!
RT!!
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) November 9, 2020
Biden is the new Al Gore.
— Diego Garcia⚡🇧🇷 (@dimacgarcia) November 9, 2020
The false headline shared by Murtaugh was plastered all over Trump's campaign headquarters.