Barely a day goes by when former President Donald Trump doesn't go on about how the 2020 election was "stolen" from him. We can agree or disagree on the extent of the shenanigans, but it's hard to argue with the fact that opening up a system whereby millions of mail-in ballots are sent out to voters and automatically counted when they come back with little vetting is bound to result in some degree of chaos.
Still, given the fact that Republicans in many key states have done little to nothing to actually fix the system, how will Trump - or any Republican - overcome what's bound to happen again to beat President Joe Biden or another Democrat in 2024?
Trump was asked that question by Nevada Globe editor Megan Barth while visiting the state over the weekend, and his response was far from encouraging. Are you ready for this?
Credit to @ReaganBabe for asking Trump the key question in her recent interview with him: If you believe the 2020 election was stolen, why do you think you'll win this time?
— Victor Joecks (@VictorJoecks) July 12, 2023
Trump's response wasn't encouraging. https://t.co/LH0NQsT8b3
"You have to swamp them," Trump said. "They’re cheaters. They cheat. They lie. They’re horrible. You have to hope the courts get tougher because they see a lot of it."
OK, that's not a plan, Mr. Trump. I don't know what that is, but it's not a plan.
The obvious answer here is that any GOP candidate in a state where Republicans haven't been able to fix the system must win beyond the margins of cheating, and they have to legally utilize every way Democrats get out their vote, from ballot harvesting to banking mail-ins to voting early.
It can be done. Cheating isn't easy, and the wider the margins, the tougher it becomes. Otherwise, Democrats would win EVERY race.
If it can't, what are we even doing here?