(NewsNation) — In an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, former President Donald Trump claimed he would win California if “Jesus came down” to count the votes.
In the interview, the former president repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was unfair and rife with voter fraud. While Trump has continued to suggest the 2020 election was rigged, there has been no proof offered to support those claims, and multiple legal efforts to question election results failed for lack of evidence.
“In other words, if we had an honest vote counter, a really honest vote counter — I do great with Hispanics, great, I mean at a level no Republican has ever done,” Trump said. “But if we had an honest vote counter, I would win California.”
Trump attacked the use of mail-in ballots, which have been a target for Republican lawmakers who have worked to limit the use of early voting and voting by mail, which makes voting accessible to more people.
“I go around California, they have Trump signs all over the place,” Trump said.
The last time a Republican won in California, it was former President George H. W. Bush in 1988. President Joe Biden won the state by 30 points in 2020.
Recent polls show Vice President Kamala Harris with a commanding lead over Trump in the state, polling at 65% to Trump’s 35%. Before he dropped out of the race, Biden was also leading Trump, though he did poll lower than Harris, coming it at 52%, while Trump still polled at 35%.
Trump has repeatedly signaled that he may contest the results of the 2024 election if he does not win, even though his claims of voter fraud have been repeatedly disproven and he now faces criminal charges for election interference in Georgia and at the federal level.