Experts, Officials Torch Trump's “Bullshit” Election Speech

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA): Well folks, as expected, Trump revealed essentially nothing new. His speech was just lies & long-debunked conspiracies about the 2020 election. This is all just a prelude to interfere in our midterms — don't fall for it.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA): Tonight I heard a failed and desperate president who as war spirals and prices rise is as always focused on his grievances, his shame, and above all his fear of the accountability that will come with defeat. I also heard a president signaling his unmistakable intent to attack these elections and our voting rights, just as he tried to throw out our votes and seize the presidency in 2020. Our answer will be overwhelming. Across Georgia a wave of defiance is building to rebuke him so decisively that no president ever again dares such brazen corruption and abuse. The power of the presidency is nothing compared to the power of the people.

Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL): Trump's purpose in making us listen to another round of lies about the 2020 election is clear. First, he wants to provide an excuse for passing laws to deny voting rights to citizens who disagree with him, thereby ensuring MAGA Republicans will win and he won't be held accountable for his greed and corruption in office. Second, he needs to validate his long-time narcissistic belief in his victimhood.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA): The whole purpose of Trump's speech seems to be to suppress the vote — particularly in certain minority communities. We will not let that happen.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT): Donald Trump just lied to the American people. Make no mistake, he is laying the foundation so that if Election Day goes badly for Republicans he can turn around and claim foul play by our adversaries. Our elections continue to be safe and secure from foreign interference, but it's increasingly clear that the greatest threat to our democracy is the President himself.

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D-NV): That was some bullshit.

Hillary Clinton: Trump's embarrassing rant last night about an election he lost six years ago made two things very clear: 1. He's not focused on making life better for Americans. Not even close. 2. We should act now to counteract any efforts to undermine our elections.

Marc Elias: The 2020 election was not rigged and no votes were changed. Donald Trump's reaction was to sue and incite a violent insurrection in the Capitol. Trump is once again laying the groundwork to try to overturn elections he is about to lose. We need to be prepared to fight back.

David Axelrod: To be clear, @POTUS's mission on Thursday night wasn't to make our elections more secure. It was to continue to raise false claims and foment unwarranted doubts — all to justify his own tampering in midterm elections that currently look very bleak for his party.

Brennan Center for Justice: President Trump has no legal authority over elections and is running out of plays, so he has resorted to rehashing old tropes and nothingburgers. The only way his administration's campaign to undermine our elections works is if voters stay home this fall.

Democracy Docket: Trump's primetime address was defined by debunked 2020 election conspiracies and disproved allegations of foreign interference. But Democratic lawmakers, voting experts and pro-voting advocates were unimpressed by the oratory, which even one election official called “bullshit.”

Common Cause: “Nothing in this speech lowers gas prices. It doesn't make groceries safer. It doesn't stop wars. Americans are tired of distractions. We need leaders focused on making life better today, NOT yesterday's grievances.” — Virginia Kase Solomon, President and CEO of Common Cause

Center for American Progress: Yet again, President Trump is dredging up debunked election conspiracy theories in a desperate effort to rewrite the past and subvert the upcoming midterm elections. He is resurrecting the same old, tired playbook to make Americans doubt the legitimacy of their electoral process. Apparently, Trump will never be willing to accept the fact that he lost the 2020 election, and that state and local officials continue to conduct free and fair elections. This is just another attempt by him to distract voters from his plummeting approval ratings and the fact that the rising cost of living, rampant inflation, and continuing war with Iran are affecting the lives of all Americans.

Voting Is Local: Tonight's speech was a nothing burger. The president offered zero plans to help Americans and instead repeated the same disproven conspiracy theories about 2020 that he can't let go of. Our message remains the same: hands off our vote.

Try and Stop Us: Tonight's primetime address is an act of desperation, plain and simple. Donald Trump and his party know they can't win a fair fight, so they're trying to rig the game before voters get the chance to hold them accountable.

Try and Stop Us is an organization fighting to defend free and fair elections in 2026 and beyond. As Donald Trump and his allies work to rig the game and sow distrust in our elections because they can't win a fair fight, Try and Stop Us moves quickly to amplify the work of organizers and local leaders — helping their voices reach further, faster, as one unified story.