President Trump at Valdosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Ga., yesterday. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump, during his first rally since he lost the 2020 election, falsely stated again on Saturday night that he won in Wisconsin and Georgia (Joe Biden won both), and said he'll push for "a complete overhaul of our election security systems."
Why it matters: To the frustration of some top Republicans, Trump spent more time on his own grievances than on the ostensible purpose of the rally in Valdosta, Georgia — getting Republicans to vote for Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in Jan. 5 runoffs that'll determine whether Mitch McConnell stays majority leader.
What he's saying: "We've won two elections, believe it or not. I think I won the second one by more than I won the first one," Trump told supporters. (Recounts confirmed that Biden won.)
- "If you want to do something to [Democrats] — I don't want to use the word revenge, but it is a certain revenge," Trump said, "you show up and vote in record numbers. That's what you have to do. They can only win if they cheat."
For the record: Trump's remarks lasted 1 hour, 41 minutes — including a 6½-minute video montage from Newsmax and OAN that took a Zapruder-film approach to try to stoke conspiracy theories about Georgia vote-counting.
Go deeper: Georgia Republican Lt. Gov.: No special session to overturn election results