BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump announced Friday from a podium in suburban Detroit that she and the RNC are working to assemble a full-scale army of “more than 100,000 election observers and more than 500 lawyers” to “deploy” to election sites across the country in November.
These volunteers have three tasks: to watch people vote, to watch people count their votes, and to sue anyone who gets in the way.
“I believe that if we have free, fair and transparent elections, we will all definitely go to bed early on November 5th,” she said.
“And we will go to sleep knowing that Donald Trump is the next president.”
Lara Trump’s vision is to have people “in the room” whenever votes are being counted and cast.
The former president’s daughter-in-law also envisions teams of volunteer lawyers (surprisingly pro bono) who can respond to any resistance from poll workers on the ground with “swift and effective” litigation.
Her remarks were filled with military terminology like “deployment” and “battlefield,” as the assembled volunteers — about 75 in total — began their “training” as potential election observers.
Journalists were not allowed to observe the training, and The Washington Post’s request to see the training materials was denied.
“Our people will be taught not only to be civil and not intimidating, but also to obey the law,” said Michael Whatley, co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
“The Trump campaign’s biggest goal this year is to get people to vote and protect the ballot.”
The crowd seemed to appreciate the sentiment.
“I am convinced the 2020 election was stolen and I genuinely believe that if Joe Biden wins this time, we are heading for World War III,” one attendee told The Post.
“This isn’t just about protecting our votes, this is about protecting our families.”
Another potential election observer, Matthew, identified himself as a member of “Trump Force,” a local group that aims to register voters and raise awareness about voter fraud.
He repeated the same thing.
“I have no choice but to come here,” he told the Post.
“I have to be here for my family.”
What could be one of the largest voter participation campaigns in history is now underway.
It may also cause trouble.
When asked after voting had finished whether such efforts could discourage people from voting or lead to violence at polling stations, Trump expressed no concern.
“Anyone who comes to this training will see and hear how hard we are working to ensure freedom, fairness and security,” she told reporters.
Studies have shown that voter fraud in the United States is extremely rare.
A comprehensive study by the Brennan Center for Justice found that the incidence of voter fraud in various election samples ranges from 0.00004% to 0.0009%.
But for Trump and his troops, 0.0009% is still a bit too high.
