‘He’s Admitting it!’ Dan Abrams Warns Trump Is ‘Trying to Cheat’ in the Midterms

Dan Abrams warned Monday that President Donald Trump is openly attempting to “improperly and illegally” tilt the rules of U.S. elections in Republicans’ favor — arguing the president’s own public comments have undercut claims that his push for election changes is solely about protecting ballot integrity.

Opening his SiriusXM radio show, the Mediaite founder said it was time to call out Trump after the president repeatedly linked his backing of the SAVE America Act to future Republican electoral success.

“So, it is time that we say something straight out and we admit that the president of the United States is now trying to cheat in the midterm elections,” Abrams said.

Abrams clarified he was using the term broadly, adding: “He is trying to improperly and illegally stack the deck to change the fundamental rules about elections to help Republicans.”

The longtime legal analyst, who noted he has often defended Trump against what he considers unfair criticism from the left, said recent remarks from the president left little room for another interpretation.

“The president has admitted that this is about trying to help Republicans win elections,” Abrams said. “He told us this this month.”

Abrams rolled back a clip of Trump’s speech at Mount Rushmore ahead of Independence Day, on July 3, where the president urged lawmakers to eliminate the Senate filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act.

“We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms,” Trump said. “But if we terminate the filibuster, as we should do, and immediately vote for the SAVE America Act, then we will not lose an election for a hundred years.”

“He’s admitting it, right?” Abrams responded. “He’s telling us we got to pass the SAVE [America] Act so we don’t lose elections.”

Abrams also seized on Trump’s appearance Monday on Fox & Friends, where the president claimed he contacted federal authorities after raising concerns about vote counting in California’s gubernatorial primary.

Trump said he “got the U.S. attorneys involved and the FBI” after believing Republican candidate Steve Hilton was being unfairly overtaken during ballot counting.

Abrams disputed the implication that Trump’s intervention changed the outcome, arguing there has been no official finding of widespread fraud.

“The U.S. attorney has never come out and said, ‘We found all of these ballots were made up, and I got in there and I stopped –’ No one is saying that – literally no one!” Abrams retorted.

Abrams also cited the firing of federal election commissioners, the insistence on having Bill Pulte as acting DNI Director, the effort to have the post office refuse to send out certain mail-in ballots and yet more investigations into the 2020 election as further evidence of the effort.

He critiqued Trump’s repeated assertions that widespread election fraud justifies the legislation, citing the president’s earlier State of the Union address, where Trump said: “That cheating is rampant in our elections.”

“That’s the lie! The cheating isn’t rampant in our elections,” Abrams said — also pointing out that judges have repeatedly declared his efforts illegal or unconstitutional.

“You can support the SAVE [America] Act. You can support voter ID, as I do, but cheating isn’t rampant in our elections. Is there voter fraud? Yes. Do we catch it? Yes. Does it mean we catch every single time? No. But it’s pretty hard. This idea that there is rampant cheating in our elections is fundamental to everything he’s doing.”

He emphasized that the issue is not even about support for the SAVE Act: “Whether you support the specifics or not, you know, the SAVE [America] Act is not just about showing voter ID at the polls,” he added. “It involves a lot more than that. But the president is telling us the reason he wants it is to make sure that Republicans can win elections for 100 years.”

After rolling back another clip of Trump going off on the SAVE America Act during his Monday Fox & Friends interview, digressing from conversation about the late Senator Lindsey Graham, Abrams interjected: “It is literally an obsession.”

“And again, have the debate. It doesn’t seem like the SAVE [America] Act is going to pass. That seems clear. And if the president wants to keep pushing it, keep pushing it,” he said. “But don’t lie to us about it.”

Watch above via YouTube.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!