FACT CHECK: Did Jamie Raskin Say That Democrats Won’t Certify Election If Trump Wins?
A viral post shared on X claims Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin purportedly said Democrats won’t certify the election if 2024 Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump wins.
🚨BREAKING: Jamie Raskin said, “Let folks cast their votes for Trump if that’s their choice. But mark my words, we won’t be certifying the election. He might win, but we’ll ensure he doesn’t step foot in the Oval Office.” pic.twitter.com/oOFsDMDTZS
— 🇺🇸 Larry 🇺🇸 (@LarryDJonesJr) November 5, 2024
Verdict: False
The claim is false. In October 2024, Axios reported that Raskin said Democrats would accept a Trump victory if he won “fairly.”
Fact Check:
Raskin said House Democrats “will not go along with any [election] fraud,” according to the Daily Beast. Raskin added that Democrats would “stand up for a fair and honest election, as we always have,” the outlet reported.
The X post, viewed over one million times as of writing, claims Raskin purportedly said Democrats won’t certify the election if Trump wins.
“BREAKING: Jamie Raskin said, ‘Let folks cast their votes for Trump if that’s their choice. But mark my words, we won’t be certifying the election. He might win, but we’ll ensure he doesn’t step foot in the Oval Office,'” the quote attributed to Raskin reads. The post, which features a photo of Raskin, does not provide a source to support its claim.
The claim is false. On Oct. 10, Axios reported Raskin said that Democrats would accept the results of the 2024 presidential election if Trump won “fairly.” “[If Trump] ‘won a free, fair and honest election, then we would obviously accept it,'” Raskin told the outlet in an interview.
A spokesperson for Raskin directed Check Your Fact to a post from the representative himself.
This fictional “quote” is 100% fabricated.
It’s one more lie in the stream of right-wing lies designed to undermine our election. Despite this actionable libel and all the disinformation, America is having a free and fair election and Congress will certify the winner. https://t.co/cpnLkybkgQ
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) November 5, 2024
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the claim referenced on Raskin’s website or his verified social media accounts. In addition, Trump does not appear to have publicly commented on the claim. Check Your Fact also did not find any credible news reports to support the claim.
Raskin objected “to 10 of Florida’s 29 electoral votes” following the 2016 election, in which Trump became the 45th President, according to CNN. (RELATED: Was Trump’s Name Misspelled On Ballots In Ohio?)
UPDATE: This article has been updated with a comment from a spokesperson from Raskin’s office.