Fact Check: Donald Trump claimed 3 million illegal votes went to Hillary Clinton in 2016 election.

Fact Check: "Donald Trump claimed 3 million illegal votes went to Hillary Clinton in 2016 election."

What We Know

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump made a claim that he would have won the popular vote if "you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally" for Hillary Clinton. This assertion was made in a tweet and echoed in various public statements, including during meetings with congressional leaders (NPR, BBC). Trump specifically mentioned that the number of illegal votes could be as high as 3 million to 5 million (Washington Post).

However, multiple fact-checking organizations, including PolitiFact and Snopes, have found no credible evidence to support Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud. For instance, PolitiFact rated the claim as "false," noting that it originated from unreliable sources such as Infowars and was based on flawed reports (PolitiFact). Investigations into voter fraud have consistently shown that instances of non-citizens voting are extremely rare, with one study identifying only 56 cases of non-citizen voting between 2000 and 2011 (NPR).

Analysis

Trump's claim of 3 million illegal votes for Clinton lacks substantive evidence and has been widely discredited by reputable sources. The assertion appears to stem from a combination of anecdotal reports and unverified claims from individuals with a history of promoting conspiracy theories, such as Greg Phillips, who initially suggested that the number of non-citizen votes exceeded 3 million but failed to provide any supporting data (BBC).

The sources that have reported on Trump's claims, including NPR and the BBC, are generally considered reliable and adhere to journalistic standards. They have conducted thorough investigations into the claims and have consistently highlighted the absence of evidence to support Trump's assertions. Furthermore, the fact-checking organizations that evaluated the claims have a strong track record of accuracy and credibility, making their assessments trustworthy (PolitiFact, Snopes).

Conclusion

The claim that Donald Trump asserted that 3 million illegal votes went to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election is True in terms of his statement; however, the assertion itself is False due to the lack of evidence supporting the existence of such illegal votes. Trump's claim has been widely debunked by multiple credible sources, and investigations into voter fraud have shown that such occurrences are exceedingly rare.

Fact Check: Donald Trump claimed 3 million illegal votes went to Hillary Clinton in 2016 election.