What are some examples of Donald Trump's false claims during the 2024 election?

1. “Massive cheating” in Philadelphia — a repeated, unfounded alarm

Trump publicly alleged “massive cheating” in Philadelphia on Election Day; Philadelphia election officials, the city’s Republican commissioner and local prosecutors said there was no evidence to support those claims, and international fact-checkers and U.S. outlets labelled the allegation false or unsubstantiated ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. Specific viral videos — shown to be manipulated or misattributed

Multiple viral clips purported to show ballots for Trump being destroyed or noncitizens crowding polling sites; fact-checkers traced at least one widely circulated video to foreign actors and found other clips were misrepresented or did not show what posts claimed. Local and state officials debunked those particular footage-based claims ^{[5] [4]}.

3. Replaying the 2020 “stolen election” narrative without evidence

After his 2024 victory, and throughout the campaign, Trump and his supporters revived and repackaged the long-standing claim that the 2020 election was stolen—claims repeatedly debunked by fact‑checking organizations and the courts—which observers say primed his base to distrust 2024 returns even as election authorities reported routine processes ^{[7] [8] [9]}.

4. Broad categories of false assertions tracked by fact‑checkers

Fact‑checking organizations documented a pattern of themes: alleged machine “flips,” mail‑ballot tampering, noncitizen voting at scale, and claims that ballots or vote counts were hidden or “suitcased” for one candidate; many of these claims were debunked by local officials, state election directors, and national fact-checkers ^{[6] [10] [11]}.

5. The political and informational ecosystem that amplified claims

Reporting shows these assertions were amplified across platforms and by influential actors—some with explicit political stakes—helping false narratives spread rapidly; Reuters and Poynter described how that network reinforced election skepticism and how some figures profited politically or financially from perpetuating these claims ^{[9] [6]}.

6. Why officials and fact‑checkers reached the same conclusion

Local election administrators, bipartisan officials and multiple media fact‑check teams converged on the absence of systemic evidence: counties in Philadelphia and elsewhere said procedures were followed and there was no factual basis for the “massive cheating” charge; independent analyses and official statements undercut specific viral allegations ^{[1] [2] [10]}.

7. Countervailing views and lingering doubts among supporters

Even where reporting debunked claims, many of Trump’s supporters either rejected the debunking or interpreted later data through the lens of prior distrust; Reuters and OPB reported that his 2024 win also energized those who see his victory as vindication for past assertions about 2020, illustrating a partisan split over which sources are trusted ^{[9] [12]}.

8. What the record does and does not show

Available sources document numerous false, debunked, or unsubstantiated claims tied to Trump and his allies during 2024—especially assertions of large‑scale fraud and specific, circulating video evidence ^{[1] [4] [2]}. Available sources do not mention every single claim circulating on social media, so they cannot confirm or deny isolated posts beyond the documented examples ^[5].

9. Practical takeaway for readers

When a high-profile figure repeatedly alleges systemic fraud, readers should look for corroboration from local election officials, bipartisan administrators, and independent fact‑checks; in the 2024 cycle those independent checks repeatedly contradicted major claims made about “massive cheating,” ballots being destroyed, and similar allegations ^{[1] [10] [6]}.