Trump Tries Yet Again to Pressure Wisconsin’s Top Republican into Illegally Throwing Out 2020 Election Results

Even as the Jan. 6 Committee meticulously outlines the ways the former president tried without merit to overturn his loss, Trump called Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to wrongly claim a state Supreme Court ruling undoes his defeat.

Undaunted by the growing mountain of evidence uncovered about his attempt to stage a coup against the United States, former President Donald Trump tried again last week to pressure Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to illegally throw out the will of Wisconsin voters in 2020—based on a willfully misrepresented view of a recent state Supreme Court decision about ballot drop boxes.

In an exclusive interview with WISN-TV reporter Matt Smith for the weekend political show UpFront, Vos provided context for a social media post on Monday from Trump that blasted Vos as a RINO (Republican In Name Only) who is “always looking to guard his flank [and] will be doing nothing about the amazing Wisconsin Supreme Court decision.”  

That decision prohibits the use of drop boxes going forward, but it did not change the legal status of the ballots that were submitted via drop boxes in the elections prior to the decision. Trump and his supporters have been spreading a lie that the ruling negates the drop box ballots and means Wisconsin can decertify its 2020 presidential election results. Legal experts and lawmakers from both parties have noted that decertification is not legal, especially in an election that was fairly conducted and accurately counted. No widespread fraud has been found in Wisconsin—where President Joe Biden beat Trump by about 21,000 votes—or any other state.

That fact has not stopped Trump from continuing to interfere with its outcome—an effort that included a call to Vos that is getting national and global attention.

“When was the last time you talked to former President Trump?” Smith asked Vos.

“Within the last week,” said Vos.

“Before or after he tweeted about you?”

“Before,” Vos responded.

“What was that conversation like?”

“You know, it’s one of those like, it’s very consistent,” Vos said. “He makes his case, which I respect. He would like us to do something different in Wisconsin. I explained that it’s not allowed under the [state] constitution. He has a different opinion, and he put the tweet out.” 

Trump has been kicked off the social media platform Twitter. His post was actually on Truth, the tiny, right-wing social platform. .

As the state’s most powerful Republican, Vos has missed few other opportunities to suppress voting rights, cast doubts on election integrity, and interfere with traditional aspects of democracy. But Vos won’t accept Trump’s demand to use the Supreme Court ruling as a new reason to throw out the ballots cast by Wisconsinites in 2020. 

“The court case does not go back and say what happened in 2020 was illegal,” Vos said. “It just says, going forward, it can’t happen.”

Despite the pressure and insults from Trump—which have led to Vos being booed at the state Republican convention and getting a primary challenger from the far right—the Speaker refuses to criticize the man who a federal judge said likely committed felonies for his conspiracy to overthrow the government.

“I think we all know Donald Trump is Donald Trump. There’s very little that we can do to try to control or predict what he will do.”