The tally was in, it was clear Donald Trump had lost – and he tweeted: “either a new election should take place or … results nullified”.
It sounds familiar, but it was not November 2020. It was February 2016.
Trump was just months into his presidential campaign and was already telling a story he would tell countless times over the following five years, hinting to the world at the character of the man the United States Senate will soon evaluate in the impeachment trial.
Back then, Trump was seeking to nullify Ted Cruz’s victory. And he was accusing Iowa of bungling the primary vote counting.
“The State of Iowa should disqualify Ted Cruz from the most recent election on the basis that he cheated – a total fraud!” Trump tweeted.
The Donald Trump Americans think of now was the same Donald Trump who entered the election in 2015 and the White House in 2016. Some of his power to rally a loyal base was based on his repetitive rhetorical style, but on Twitter, he was…