Democrat Calls for Investigation of Donald Trump’s ‘Vote Counting Computers’ Remark
January 22, 2025
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A Democratic congressman has called for an investigation after President Donald Trump described Elon Musk’s knowledge of Pennsylvania voting machines as the reason he won the state in the 2024 election.
The remark prompted some opponents of the president to speculate if he was admitting to rigging the election.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Trump, well-known for his voter fraud allegations, notably claiming Democrats stole the 2020 election, has not challenged the results of the 2024 election, which he won. This makes his recent remarks, highlighting his ally’s deep knowledge of voting machines during Tuesday’s speech, particularly unexpected.
President Donald Trump throws pens into the crowd after signing executive orders on stage at an indoor presidential inauguration parade in Washington on January 20, 2025. President Donald Trump throws pens into the crowd after signing executive orders on stage at an indoor presidential inauguration parade in Washington on January 20, 2025. Mark Schiefelbein/AP
What To Know
During a rally in Washington on Sunday, Trump said Musk had an advanced understanding of the voting machines used in Pennsylvania, a swing state that was key to Trump’s victory in November.
“He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers. Those vote-counting computers,” Trump told the crowd. “And we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide.”
While Trump did not explicitly claim vote tabulation was manipulated, the comments were quickly seized upon by anti-Trump viewers, who considered it an admittance to using Musk’s tech knowledge to commit voter fraud.
“Did Donald Trump just say that Elon Musk helped him rig the election?” journalist David Leavitt asked.
Democrat Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas also took to X to ask if Trump was “confessing to yet another damn crime.” Another Democratic congressman, Daniel Goldman of New York, also called for an investigation.
Pennsylvania uses multiple types of voting machines, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website. As of June 2020, according to its official website, all 67 counties had voting systems that produce voter-verifiable paper records and “meet 21st-century standards of security, auditability, and accessibility.”
However, during the 2024 election, a software malfunction in Cambria County gained national attention after voters were unable to scan ballots, which were later manually counted by the Board of Elections. Ultimately, Trump won the state with 50.4 percent of the vote.
A report released last week by the non-profit Smart Elections found that there are “serious concerns” that votes may have been tampered with in the 2024 election.
“There are very serious concerns about the 2024 election results focused on unnatural data patterns that are emerging daily,” a summary of the report reads.
The report also suggests someone may have installed code on certain tabulators to shift votes after counting 400 ballots, avoiding detection in small recounts. However, the reports are unverified.
What People Are Saying
Democrat Representative Jasmine Crockett,on X: “So Trump is rambling on about he and Elon rigging the election?! Am I missing something or is he confessing to yet another damn crime?!”
Democrat Representative Daniel Goldman, on X: “Vote counting computers?” Not voter analysis software. This needs to be investigated.”
What Happens Next
There is currently no investigation into voter fraud in the 2024 election.
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