Trump Calls for 2020 Election to Be 'Permanently Wiped from the Books' if SPLC Fraud Charges Are True

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday morning called the Southern Poverty Law Center “one of the greatest political scams in American history” and demanded that the 2020 presidential election be nullified if the nonprofit is convicted of the fraud charges filed this week.

In a Truth Social post at 12:13 a.m., Trump wrote: “The Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the greatest political scams in American History, has been charged with FRAUD. This is another Democrat Hoax, along with Act Blue, and many others. If it is true, the 2020 Presidential Election should be permanently wiped from the books and be of no further force or effect!”

The remarks came hours after a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, indicted the SPLC on 11 counts, including six counts of wire fraud, four counts of false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Prosecutors allege the organization secretly routed more than $3 million in donor funds between 2014 and 2023 to individuals tied to extremist groups — including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations affiliates, and neo-Nazi organizations — while publicly raising hundreds of millions by claiming to combat those same groups.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel have described the alleged scheme as the SPLC “manufacturing racism to justify its existence.”

Trump has long accused the SPLC of weaponizing its “hate group” designations to smear conservatives, influence Big Tech censorship, and shape media narratives that he says suppressed his supporters and aided Joe Biden in 2020. The president has repeatedly pointed to the SPLC’s role in labeling mainstream conservative organizations and figures as “extremists,” arguing it contributed to the environment that enabled what he calls widespread election irregularities and suppression of Republican turnout.

The SPLC has denied any wrongdoing, stating that payments to confidential informants were a legitimate intelligence-gathering tool used to monitor dangerous groups. The organization said it will vigorously defend itself in court.

For millions of Americans who have questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 results, Trump’s statement frames the SPLC indictment as further evidence of systemic efforts to manipulate public perception and electoral outcomes. No legal mechanism currently exists to retroactively nullify a completed presidential election, but the president’s comments underscore his continued focus on election integrity as a central issue.