Hollywood celebrities are spreading a hoax claiming that former President Donald Trump will outlaw elections if he returns to the White House.
Their specious claim comes from a recent speech during which the GOP presidential nominee encouraged Christians to turn out en masse this November — with important context cut from a 27-second video clip.
“Four years, it will be fixed, it will be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore. In four years, you won’t have to vote again,” Trump said Friday to the crowd at Turning Point Action’s Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Celebrities twisted Trump’s remarks to claim that he will outright ban elections — when he was saying they needed to contribute to “a landslide that’s too big to rig” so a second Trump administration can reform election laws with voter ID requirements, thus reducing the need for massive turnout to counteract alleged voter fraud. The statement, in context, reads:
I will secure our elections. Our goal will be, as I said, one day voting with paper ballots, proof of citizenship, and a thing called voter ID. (Applause) You know, when you negotiate and I do that with the Democrats and I negotiate with them all the time on this. I say, look, we’re going to fix our laws with voting, we have to start with voter ID. Everybody has to — “No way!” — the discussion never even goes any further.
I say, we have to have voter ID. It’s called voter identification. “No, we’re not going to do it.” Now, there’s only one reason they do that. because they want to cheat. There’s only one reason.
You know, in their national convention, when they have their convention, they have a voter tag on them bigger than their chest, depending on who, whose, which chest we’re talking about. Bigger than this, I like this. It has their name, their serial number, it’s got the whole deal, middle name, past addresses, it’s got everything. Otherwise you can’t get into the Democrat National Convention.
But with voting, one of your most important things you can do, maybe in many ways your most important, they don’t want to approve voter ID. That’s because they want to cheat. But until then, Republicans must win. We have to win this election. Most important election ever. (Applause)
We want a landslide that’s too big to rig. If you want to save America, get your friends, get your family, get everyone you know, and vote, vote early, vote absentee, vote on Election Day. I don’t care how, but you have to get out and vote.
And again, Christians — get out and vote! Just this time. (Applause) You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore. My beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you. Get out. You’ve got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good. You’re not going to have to vote.
Since Friday’s speech, pro-Kamala stars including Rob Reiner, Mia Farrow, and Barbra Streisand have spread the Trump hoax to their millions of social media followers. Disney’s Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson also spread the lie.
As Breitbart News reported, the formerly respected Atlantic magazine got in the game, too. “He’s telegraphing his authoritarian intentions in plain sight,” writer Brian Klaas’s article states.
Rob Reiner falsely claimed Trump “point blank said he will destroy our Democracy.”
There it is! Donald Trump told a gathering of Christians that if they voted for him this time, he’d fix it so they’d never have to vote again. He point blank said he will destroy our Democracy. Keep 250 years of Self Rule alive. VOTE KAMALA!!!
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) July 27, 2024
Mia Farrow also spread the lie, saying Trump will hold onto the White House forever.
Here it is America. We are warned. This guy and his inner circle intend to seize power -and keep it. Say a clear ‘ NO’ with your vote 🇺🇸 https://t.co/5vLXUsnPVm
— Mia Farrow 🏳️🌈 🌻🇺🇸💙 (@MiaFarrow) July 27, 2024
Barbra Streisand got in the game too.
Trump Tells Christians ‘You Won’t Have to Vote Anymore’ If He’s Elected - The New York Times https://t.co/KwOI37VOAJ
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) July 28, 2024
Scott Derrickson — who directed Disney’s Marvel superhero movie Doctor Strange — falsely claimed Trump “will remain in power until he dies.”
Trump telling Christians he will fix the government so that, once in power, he will be a dictator who will not allow free elections. He will remain in power until he dies. He’s a fascist who intends to topple our democracy by promising Christians he’s got their back. https://t.co/wbwi3mgngH
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) July 27, 2024
HBO’s The Wire creator David Simon also spread the lie.
— David Simon (@AoDespair) July 27, 2024
Several other celebrities re-posted the hoax from other accounts, including John Cusack, Amber Tamblyn, and Nancy Sinatra.
If you ever want to vote again, if you want to live in a country where one day your children and grandchildren can vote, you need to vote for Harris this November. https://t.co/lNnLqr57FJ
— Timothy Snyder (@TimothyDSnyder) July 27, 2024
These are the most horrifying 30 seconds I’ve ever seen in my life.
— Aes🇺🇸 (@AesPolitics1) July 27, 2024
Vote Kamala Harris. pic.twitter.com/Qmd8McdHoV
Their not-so-subtle subterfuge is part of the establishment’s ongoing effort the smear Trump as an enemy of democracy — and to make voters forget that Democrat elites just nullified their own presidential primary, executed a soft coup of President Joe Biden, and installed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presumptive nominee without her earning a single vote.
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