Fact check: Was the 2024 presidential legitimate?

1. Summary of the results

The 2024 presidential election was legitimate according to multiple authoritative sources and agencies. Donald Trump won the election with 312 electoral votes and 49.8% of the popular vote, becoming the first president since Grover Cleveland to win a non-consecutive second term ^[1]. The election's integrity was confirmed by:

• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, who found no evidence of malicious activity ^[2]
• Vice President Kamala Harris, who conceded the race ^[2]
• Multiple state officials, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro ^[2]
• Independent election monitoring organizations like Common Cause ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements should be considered:

• Trump's victory came despite significant challenges, including assassination attempts, impeachments, and criminal charges ^[4]
• An Associated Press investigation found fewer than 475 confirmed voter fraud instances across battleground states, an amount insufficient to impact the election outcome ^[2]
• Some groups raised concerns about vote drop-off rates in swing states, though these claims remained speculative and did not lead to formal investigations ^[5]
• Claims about "20 million missing votes" were proven unfounded, with experts explaining that voter turnout naturally fluctuates between elections ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself "Was the 2024 presidential election legitimate?" could suggest underlying doubts about the election's integrity. However:

• Multiple independent sources, including election officials, cybersecurity experts, and monitoring organizations, have confirmed the election's legitimacy ^[3]
• The election was described as "safe, secure, and pretty smooth" by monitoring organizations ^[3]
• Even groups that initially raised concerns did not contest the overall election results ^[5]

Those who might benefit from questioning the election's legitimacy include:

• Political actors seeking to delegitimize the democratic process
• Media outlets seeking engagement through controversial coverage
• Groups attempting to maintain political influence by casting doubt on electoral processes