What did Donald Trump do today?
He bragged about political interference in an election he probably didn't even bother actually doing.
Trump told an audience in Pennsylvania today that he had called the US Attorney in California and asked him to "take a look" at the primary election for governor in that state. "Do me a favor, take a look" Trump said he asked Bill Essayli, adding that "about an hour later" Republican Steve Hilton had "won." “Had I not made that call, Steve Hilton would be watching the election from home,” Trump claimed.
There's really no way to know if Trump actually did make such a call. If he did, it would be a blatant abuse of his power to try to interfere in a sovereign state election where nobody actually involved—including Hilton—has suggested federal laws were being broken.
If Trump was lying, it was probably to suggest that he has the ability to influence state elections or disregard results he doesn't like. That was, in effect, what got him indicted in Georgia, when he alternately threatened and pleaded with state election officials there in a recorded phone call in early January 2021, asking them to "find" 11,780 votes for him—the number he trailed Joe Biden by.
It's worth noting that Trump was trying to sell bizarre conspiracy theories about the California elections on the night of the primary too, even after it was quite clear that Hilton would have enough votes to finish in the top two.
In reality, neither Trump nor the DOJ has any ability to dictate the results of California elections, or to pressure officials there to "find" that the right candidates have been selected.
Hilton didn't "win" the primary, but he did come in second, which in California's system means he and the top vote-getter, Rep. Xavier Becerra, will advance to the general election in November.
Why does this matter?
- Americans don't need Donald Trump's permission to hold elections or vote for the candidates of their choice.
- Using state power to make sure the leader's candidates win elections is what dictators do.