Mike Johnson’s Answer on 2020 Election Question Should Alarm Everyone
House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to dodge a question from George Stephanopoulos about who won the 2020 election, a worrying sign for November’s coming election.
On Sunday morning, Johnson was asked on ABC if he could “unequivocally” say that Joe Biden won and Donald Trump lost in 2020. His answer was less than forthcoming.
“See, this is the game that is always played by mainstream media with leading Republicans. It’s a gotcha game,” Johnson said. “You want us to litigate things that happened four years ago when we’re talking about the future. We’re not gonna talk about what happened in 2020, we’re gonna talk about 2024 and how we’re gonna solve the problems for the American people.
“I think this thing, this game that’s played all the time, I’m not gonna engage in it,” Johnson added.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Can you say unequivocally that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and Trump lost?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 6, 2024
MIKE JOHNSON: See, this is the game that is always played by mainstream media with mainstream Republicans. It's a gotcha game.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So like Vance, you can't say… pic.twitter.com/0vFnZHi4a3
Johnson is echoing every Republican who wants to curry favor with Trump. J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, refused to answer a similar question during last week’s vice presidential debate and was called out by Tim Walz, who called it a “damning nonanswer.” (After being hounded by a comedian later in the week, Vance confessed that he believes Trump won the election.) Trump’s campaign staff refuses to answer the question too, as do many Republicans such as Senator Tom Cotton, who dodged it on Sunday’s Meet the Press.
Q: Can you say definitively that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election?
— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) October 6, 2024
GOP Sen. Cotton: It was an unfair election in many ways
Q: But did Trump lose?
Cotton: Joe Biden was elected
Q: Do you not want to say that Trump lost?
Cotton: *refuses to answer* pic.twitter.com/s6hLwffN6n
These signals from leading Republicans don’t bode well for next month and could signal more serious efforts to undermine unfavorable results, just like in 2020. In a worrying sign, pro-Trump election deniers are working as election officials in key swing states and are already disrupting the voting process in places like Georgia. They could cause further problems if they don’t get the results they like.