He was several days late to the party, but the former president appears to have finally gotten wind of some remarks that Mark Zuckerberg made during a Joe Rogan podcast that had conservatives up in arms last week.
Essentially, Zuckerberg told Rogan during an episode of his podcast last week that the FBI approached Facebook in the days leading up to the 2020 election and warned company executives that they should be on the lookout for “Russian propaganda” and to be “vigilant” about dealing with it.
Zuckerberg said that federal agents didn’t pinpoint Hunter Biden laptop stories being shared on the platform as a source of disinfo, but said the company made the decision to limit the reach of a New York Post piece on the laptop while it was checked by company fact-checkers.
Trump and other conservatives have, of course, taken that small step toward limiting disinfo on the platform as undeniable proof that the FBI tried to boost President Joe Biden’s campaign — seizing on the news as some sort of justification to feign outrage and level a fresh argument that the 2020 election was somehow stolen from him, which it was not. Trump followed a predictable path once he found out about Zuckerberg’s mild remarks, posting an unhinged and lengthy statement on Truth Social. But this time he also called for the U.S. to somehow, some way hold a brand new election “immediately!”
“So now it comes out, conclusively, that the FBI BURIED THE HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY BEFORE THE ELECTION knowing that, if they didn’t, ‘Trump would have easily won the 2020 Presidential Election,’” he wrote. “This is massive FRAUD & ELECTION INTERFERENCE at a level never seen before in our Country. REMEDY: Declare the rightful winner or, and this would be the minimal solution, declare the 2020 Election irreparably compromised and have a new Election, immediately!”
As Mo Brooks learned the hard way, Trump is entirely disinterested in moving on to 2024 if he can still find new ways to scream about 2020. It’s perhaps part of why he hasn’t announced his expected presidential bid yet — moving on is synonymous with admitting defeat.
The Best Of TPM Today
Here’s what you should read this evening:
Inside Trump’s Post-Presidential Hell Of Criminal Probes And Feeble Lawyering
Greenland Ice Sheet Is Shrinking Faster Than Forecast, Locking In Sea Level Rise: Study
How Republicans May Still Blow A Winnable Seat In New Hampshire
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
What Was He Doing? — Josh Marshall
What We Are Reading
Biden vows to crack down on colleges ‘jacking up costs’ and causing student debt to spiral after Trump ‘looked the other way’ — Ayelet Sheffey
Republicans are increasingly sharing misinformation, research finds –Maggie Macdonald and Megan A. Brown
Lindsey Graham’s vile ‘riots’ threat gives away Trump’s game — Greg Sargent