Trump Regrets Not Seizing Voting Machines After 2020 Election Loss

In a recent interview with the New York Times, former and now President-elect Donald Trump expressed regret over not deploying the National Guard to seize voting machines following his 2020 election defeat, while continuing to falsely claim he won that race.

“Well, I should have,” Trump responded when questioned about his previous consideration of using the National Guard to confiscate election boxes. However, he immediately cast doubt on whether such troops would be capable of executing such an operation, adding: “I don’t know that they are sophisticated enough. You know, they’re good warriors. I’m not sure that they’re sophisticated enough in the ways of crooked Democrats and the way they cheat, to figure that out.”

The comments, published Sunday, revisit a controversial plan reportedly discussed during a December 2020 Oval Office meeting. According to the Times, several Trump advisers—including attorney Sidney Powell and former national security adviser Michael Flynn—urged the then-president to use military or federal authorities to seize Dominion voting machines in key swing states where Trump had baselessly alleged voter fraud.

Reports published in 2022 revealed that these advisers presented Trump with draft executive orders outlining how such seizures might be executed. One draft order obtained by Politico referenced conspiracy theories about election fraud in Georgia and Michigan and would have directed the defense secretary to “seize, collect, retain and analyze all machines, equipment, electronically stored information, and material records required for retention under” U.S. election records law.

The proposal faced significant internal opposition. William Barr, then serving as Attorney General, “immediately shot down” the suggestion, according to the Times reporting. Ultimately, Trump did not proceed with the plan during the final weeks of his administration.

Despite his loss to Joe Biden in 2020 and the subsequent transition of power, Trump has continued to maintain his false narrative about the election results. During the interview, he boldly claimed, “I won three times,” adding the 2020 election to his actual 2016 and 2024 victories.

This persistent refusal to acknowledge his 2020 defeat comes despite overwhelming evidence verifying the election’s legitimacy. Election security experts have consistently maintained that the 2020 presidential race was among the most secure in American history. The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and numerous state election officials from both parties confirmed no evidence of widespread fraud.

Moreover, Trump’s legal team filed more than 60 lawsuits challenging the results across multiple states. These challenges were systematically dismissed by courts—including by judges appointed by Republican presidents—due to lack of evidence or legal merit.

Trump’s latest comments arrive at a sensitive moment in American politics. Having defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, he is set to return to the White House in January. While he has not questioned the integrity of his recent victory, his continued insistence on the 2020 election being “stolen” raises questions about his approach to democratic institutions during his second term.

The revelation that Trump considered using military forces to intervene in an election outcome aligns with concerns expressed by his critics about his willingness to test constitutional boundaries. His suggestion that he should have moved forward with seizing voting machines represents one of his most direct acknowledgments of considering extraordinary measures to reverse his 2020 defeat.

As Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, his persistent election falsehoods and expressions of regret over not taking more extreme actions following his previous loss highlight ongoing tensions surrounding American electoral processes and the peaceful transfer of power.