Trump threatened his voters that they would stay home in 2022, 2024 if the GOP didn't support election lies.
Insider was told by a specialist in democracy and extremism that his statement was "mostly a power game."
This technique was used by the former president in Georgia's runoffs. Republicans lost.
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One year ago, Trump was still preaching about the false and unfounded election fraud that led to his loss of the presidency in November 2020.
This time, however, the GOP leader has added an ultimatum to his sermon. It is directed at fellow Republican lawmakers. Repeat Trump's election lies and supporters of the polarizing politician won't vote in the forthcoming pivotal elections.
Trump sent a threat statement via his political action committee website Save America on Thursday.
"If we don’t solve the Presidential Election Fraud 2020 (which has been thoroughly and conclusively documented), Republicans won’t be voting in '22/'24. This is the most important thing that Republicans can do," the statement stated.
Official audits and election experts concluded that there was no widespread fraud in 2020's election. The Department of Homeland Security also declared it the "most secure in American History."
Mudde stated that the ousted president is hinting at a run for president in 2024 and maintaining claims of "stolen elections" has become a key narrative in GOP discourse. He is trying to further undermine trust in the political system.
Although the former president is no longer in office, his influence still exists over the Republican party and his ominous messages pose a problem for them, according to Cas MUDDE, a professor of international affairs at Georgia who specializes on extremism, democracy, and International Affairs.
Insider reported that Mudde said that the GOP candidates must find a balance between pro-Trump and pro -vote.
Mudde stated that despite Trump's messaging problems to Republican lawmakers ahead of the impending election, he believes Trump’s latest threat is "mostly an act of power play."
Mudde stated that Mudde wanted to "remain at the center" of GOP politics and keep the party moving forward without him.
Phillip Bump, Washington Post National Correspondent, wrote that the ultimatum by the former president was not a threat to withhold his passionate support from other Republican candidates but rather a preemptive explanation as to why he might not be able energize his base for future elections.
Mudde noted that Trump has threatened this same threat in the past with respect to the 2021 Georgia Senate elections, which saw Democrats win the Senate, a defeat for Trump and his Republican party. Trump's threats to his base not voting in January were retracted by Trump, and Mudde stated that he believes Trump will likely downplay this threat as the crucial 2022 and 2024 elections near.
Mudde stated that the remarks of the former president could reduce the GOP vote, but not significantly. However, margins in many races are already narrow and politicians are preparing for tight races.
Some strategists believe that Trump's persistent claims of voter fraud may have hurt GOP voter turnout earlier in the year. However, the ex-president, along with many other senior Republican figures, expressed confidence that Republicans would be able to regain Congress in 2022.
