The Big Lie

The Big Lie of the 2020 election -- by far the most significant catalyst for the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection -- is President Trump's claim that there was widespread voter fraud in November and that he, in fact, won the election. This claim is false. Period.

Promotional graphic used by ABC News ©

Trump has made a maddening habit of spreading lies before and during his presidency, but The Big Lie is important because the nation will have a difficult time unifying until the truth -- that Biden's election is legitimate -- begins to be accepted by Trump supporters. 

If there were any evidence that the election was stolen or that there was significant voter fraud in Biden's favor the President's lawyers would have presented it in court. Attorneys can claim anything they want in the media, but they had better have solid evidence to bring these assertions into courtrooms or they risk being punished, including threat of disbarment.

Following are a few good news stories summarizing outcomes of the Trump Administration's fruitless push to challenge free and fair election results in some key swing states:

• By the numbers: President Donald Trump's failed efforts to overturn the election. Trump and allies filed scores of lawsuits, tried to convince state legislatures to take action, organized protests and held hearings. None of it worked. (USA Today, Jan. 6, 2021)
• These Are The Voter Fraud Claims Trump Tried (And Failed) To Overturn The Election With (Forbes, Dec. 17, 2020)
• Republicans Are Facing Very Real Legal Consequences From Trump’s Voter Fraud Lies. A new lawsuit accuses Trump and the Republican National Committee of conspiring to violate the rights of Black voters. (Buzzfeed, Dec. 22, 2020)
• Election Fraud Claims: a State-by-State Guide. President Trump’s campaign and its allies have lost dozens of court cases challenging President-elect Joe Biden’s win. (Wall Street Journal, Jan. 6, 2021)

It's been observed that it is far easier for one to be fooled than it is to admit one has been fooled. Even so, once a significant set of Trump supporters are ready to accept the empirical reality of Trump's defeat -- I would never presume all of them will escape the deception -- then we can begin to unify and move on from the unfortunate dark years of the delusional presidency.