Former President Donald Trump has continued to promote conspiracy theories regarding the 2020 presidential election, particularly focusing on claims that sought to explain his loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Following his return to the presidency, Trump has appointed numerous individuals associated with these conspiracy theories into key positions within his administration. This includes officials who have previously voiced support for false narratives about the election as well as those who assisted in efforts to overturn the electoral outcome.
Among the prominent figures in Trump's administration is attorney Kurt Olsen, who unsuccessfully argued for the Justice Department to support Trump's unfounded claims in 2020. He is now at the forefront of a broad investigation into the voting process from that election cycle. A significant action under this initiative was the late January seizure of ballots and election records from Fulton County, Georgia—a Democratic stronghold that has long been targeted by those espousing election conspiracies linked to Trump. The search warrant for this action was reportedly based on claims that had already been extensively investigated and debunked.
As elections approach, officials across the country, notably in Democratic-controlled states, are preparing for potential upheaval. Joanna Lydgate, the CEO of the States United Democracy Center, which monitors proponents of election conspiracy theories, described the situation as alarming, stating that "the election denial movement is now embedded across our federal government." Lydgate emphasized that Trump and his allies are leveraging federal governmental power to undermine electoral processes in anticipation of the upcoming midterms, where control of Congress is at stake.
Trump's influence on the federal government appears to have transformed it into an apparatus for his personal agenda. His attorney general, Pam Bondi, who previously sought to assist Trump in overturning his election loss, has mandated that all Justice Department employees must respond to the president's directives. Amid other pressing issues in his second term—including economic concerns and immigration policies—Trump continues to propagate the false claim of having won the 2020 election.
A number of individuals inhabiting key roles in Trump's administration are longstanding supporters who persisted in their backing of the former president even as he attempted to overturn the election results. Some officials had minor involvements in promoting the false narratives regarding the 2020 election, while others have endorsed conspiracy theories that have ultimately convinced millions of Republicans that Trump was wronged in the electoral process.
