Trump's Iran Election Interference Claims Resurface Amid US-Iran Tensions

Former President Donald Trump recently made claims on Truth Social suggesting that Iran attempted to interfere in the 2020 and 2024 US elections to prevent his presidency. This assertion came shortly after the United States launched attacks on Iran, raising questions about the motivations behind these military actions. Trump's post linked to an article from Just the News, a pro-Trump outlet known for promoting conspiracy theories, which vaguely alleged that Iran conducted a sophisticated election influence effort in 2020. However, the White House has not commented on whether these claims influenced the decision to attack Iran.

Since the 2020 election, Trump has consistently promoted unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about election rigging. His administration has acted on these theories, influencing decisions such as election office raids and legal actions concerning voter rolls. The specific nature of the alleged Iranian interference remains unclear, but Patrick Byrne, a conspiracy theorist, suggests it is part of a broader theory involving Venezuela and China. This theory, lacking concrete evidence, claims that the Venezuelan government has been manipulating elections globally through the voting software company Smartmatic, which has denied these allegations and successfully sued Newsmax for defamation.

Byrne's version of the conspiracy theory posits that Iran played a role in concealing financial transactions related to election interference, using oil trade mechanisms to keep payments hidden from the banking system. Despite these claims, Byrne has not provided evidence, and his assertions have been widely debunked. Smartmatic has not responded to requests for comment.

There have been two documented instances of Iranian election interference. In 2021, two Iranians were charged with running an influence operation targeting US voters, and in 2024, three Iranian hackers were charged with compromising the Trump campaign to disrupt the election. However, these incidents differ from Byrne's allegations.

Byrne's claims have been circulated among conspiracy groups and were recently sent to Trump by Peter Ticktin, a lawyer and longtime acquaintance of Trump. Ticktin, along with Byrne and other election deniers, has drafted a 17-page executive order falsely claiming that Trump can declare an emergency based on foreign election interference and seize control of US elections. Although legal experts have dismissed this draft, Ticktin has been advocating for its adoption by the White House. Trump has publicly stated he is unaware of the draft but has suggested he might bypass Congress to issue an order taking control of elections.

While Trump's assertions about Iran's role in the 2020 election remain vague, he has been more explicit about alleged Iranian plots during the 2024 election campaign. Trump claimed that Iran attempted to target him twice, referencing alleged plots to kill him that prosecutors have linked to Iranian backing. He remarked that he acted before Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in US and Israeli attacks, could act against him.