Trump accuses Democrats of planning to 'cheat' in elections without evidence at news conference

During a news conference at Trump National Doral Miami on March 9, President Trump accused Democrats of planning to cheat in upcoming elections, echoing claims he made during his State of the Union address days earlier. "They want to cheat," Trump said, providing no evidence. "Their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat, and we're going to stop it." The unsubstantiated claims were largely dismissed by Republicans interviewed by NPR. Democrats suggested Trump was laying groundwork to justify intervening in midterm elections if Republicans appeared poised to lose. The claims come amid ongoing FBI investigations into 2020 election records in Maricopa County, Arizona. When pressed by a female reporter about the lack of evidence, Trump reportedly insulted her for challenging his claims.

"Their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat, and we're going to stop it." — Statement made at Trump National Doral Miami press conference when asked about election integrity claims from his State of the Union address