Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:43 pm
Donald Trump is claiming that he won the electoral college in a landslide, but a review of the historical numbers reveals that Trump’s win ranks near the bottom and his claims of a landslide are false.
Here was the statement from Trump’s transition team on his electoral college victory, “Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation’s democracy. I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States. The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media. This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again.â€
PolitiFact found that Trump’s electoral college victory was in the bottom third of presidents, “Since the end of World War II, Trump’s percentage of the Electoral College vote is lower than 12 previous results (1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012). By contrast, Trump’s electoral vote haul was bigger than only five elections in the post-World War II era (1960, 1968, 1976, 2000 and 2004). So Trump ranks in the bottom one-third by this metric.
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According to Professor Jack Pitney, Trump’s electoral college victory ranks 46th out of 58 presidential elections. Trump ranks below both of Bill Clinton’s wins, both of Ronald Reagan’s wins, and both of Barack Obama’s wins. Trump’s win is in the same company as George W. Bush’s wins, and Jimmy Carter’s wins. Trump is 37 positions lower than Ronald Reagan’s smallest win. Trump is 42 positions behind FDR’s 1936 win, and 37 positions behind Abraham Lincoln.
Under no mathematical metric could Donald Trump’s electoral college win be described as a landslide.
The Trump team’s frequent use of the term appears to be an attempt to rewrite history by injecting a myth into the national dialogue.
The fact is that Donald Trump did not win in a landslide, and any claim that he did is FALSE.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
