Trump to raise election dissenters at rally in Arizona

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Former President Donald Trump announced guest speakers today for his Saturday rally in Arizona, and most of them have one thing in common: they led efforts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election.

Why it matters: Trump, who remains the most powerful figure in the Republican Party, is making his false statements about the 2020 election as the centerpiece of the GOP platform.

Between the lines: Trump made it clear to everyone asking for his endorsement that if they want his blessing, they need to make the reversal of the 2020 election a priority as much as the overthrow in future elections.

The details: The guest list for Trump’s rally in Arizona is who will reject the election.

The headliner, Kari Lake, who was endorsed by Trump for Arizona’s gubernatorial race, told OAN that he would not have certified Biden as a winner if he had become governor. State Rep. Mark Finchem, Trump’s endorsed candidate to oversee Arizona’s elections as Secretary of State, not only rejected the 2020 election result but attended “Stop the Steal” rallies in January. Reps all voted. Arizona Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Debbie Lesko in Jan. 6 to object to Joe Biden’s certification of success. Kelli Ward, chair of Arizona’s Republican Party, pushed the false conspiracy theory that foreign powers were manipulating the Dominion’s voting machines to ensure Biden’s election victory. Boris Epshteyn, who co-hosts Steve Bannon’s podcast, uses his platform to advance Trump’s statements about a rigged election. And Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, is probably more committed than Trump to toppling the election in 2020. He said he has spent $ 25 million so far on his campaign to weaken and overthrow the election. An outlier in the speaking line-up is Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr. He is an outspoken supporter of Trump, but unlike other speakers, has not made it his mission to overthrow the 2020 election.

The big picture: Trump is also working to install Republicans in election administration positions that could be properly positioned to overthrow future elections.

And he is systematically driving out and destroying all Republicans who claim President Biden legitimately won the 2020 election.

What we see: To enforce full party compliance, Trump opposes anyone who opposes his statements about election fraud. He punishes even the smallest deviations.

On Sunday, Sen. Mike Rounds (RS.D.) told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that after investigating the 2020 election they found no evidence of fraud that “would have changed the outcome of the vote in a state.” On Monday, Trump sent an emailed statement exploding Rounds as “awakened” and a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) and vowed never to endorse him again. These attacks are of high value. Republicans who opposed Trump in the 2020 election – from the highest profile like Liz Cheney to unknown state officials – have been inundated with threats to themselves and their families from angry supporters of Trump.

The bottom line: Trump’s goal, his advisers say, is to make life miserable for them that they quit or end their careers by supporting a successful major challenge.

Trump’s efforts are working. His few remaining opponents in the party often quit because of fatigue or choose to keep their disapproval to themselves.

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