Former President Donald Trump’s claim of “massive deception” happens in Philadelphia Election Day is false, officials said.
Trump made the claim on Truth Social on Tuesday just after 4:30 p.m. He has not provided any evidence to support his claim.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement that there is no “factual basis” for Trump’s claim.
“The only talk of massive cheating has come from one of the candidates, Donald J. Trump,” Krasner said in a statement. “There is no factual basis within law enforcement to support these wild allegations. We have been receiving complaints and allegations of improprieties all day. If Donald J. Trump has facts to back up his wild accusations, we want them now. Right now. We are not holding our breath.”
City Commissioner Seth Bluestein echoed Krasner’s comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying there is “absolutely no truth” to the claim.
“We have been in regular contact with the RNC,” Bluestein, a Republican, wrote on X. “We have responded to every report of irregularities at the polls to ensure Philadelphians can vote safely.”
Philadelphia police said they were “not aware of anything” Trump referred to in his post.
Hours after Trump’s claim, Bluestein and other Philadelphia City Commissioners addressed it at the Philadelphia Election Warehouse in Northeast Philly.
“Elections in Philadelphia are safe, simple and secure, and they always have been,” said City Commissioner Omar Sabir. “There is no cheating. There’s no smoke. People say things, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. We learned this in 2020. We have hardworking people trying to give the citizens of America the elections they deserve. ”
Trump’s claim Tuesday night is not the first time he has been accused of cheating in Philadelphia during the presidential election.
In 2020, Trump claimed there was voter fraud in Philadelphia, which was untrue.
Al Schmidt, the Secretary of the Commonwealth, said the 2020 election was the “most transparent and secure election in Philadelphia history.” Trump tried multiple times to challenge the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania after losing the state’s President Biden, but the courts ruled Trump’s claims were baseless.
Schmidt, a Republican Philadelphia city commissioner in 2022, spoke 60 minutes in October about reassuring Pennsylvanians in the general election.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker also posted on Instagram Tuesday evening that the city’s elections are safe, secure and fair.
“If you’re in line at 8 p.m., stay in line! You can still cast your vote,” Parker wrote.
