--- title: Donald Trump Tweets for 'Major Investigation' of Voter Fraud description: President Trump will be asking officials to launch a “major investigation” into whether millions of people illegally voted. They did not. canonical: https://time.com/4648352/president-donald-trump-voter-fraud-investigation/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-25T12:42:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:14:40.463Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Wants a 'Major Investigation' Into Voter Fraud That Didn’t Happen og:description: Trump has falsely insisted that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally og:url: https://time.com/4648352/president-donald-trump-voter-fraud-investigation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6161bf0dcfe0bcc/6988b726fb4eac752889086f/donald-trump-voter-fraud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: President Trump Meets With Key Automobile Industry Leaders og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Wants a 'Major Investigation' Into Voter Fraud That Didn’t Happen twitter:description: Trump has falsely insisted that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6161bf0dcfe0bcc/6988b726fb4eac752889086f/donald-trump-voter-fraud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Wants a 'Major Investigation' Into Voter Fraud That Didn’t Happen > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ac99cf32-cde5-48ec-93e9-68fcb5771cdc&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Wants a 'Major Investigation' Into Voter Fraud That Didn’t Happen [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Wants a 'Major Investigation' Into Voter Fraud That Didn’t Happen](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4xnfPVX2.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2017-01-24. President Trump will be asking officials to launch a “major investigation” into whether millions of people illegally voted in the 2016 election, he said Wednesday, continuing to push the demonstrably false claim that his popular vote loss to Hillary_  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 25, 2017 12:42 PM UTC  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 25, 2017 12:42 PM UTC [President Trump](http://time.com/4646273/donald-trump-wall-mexico-border-immigration/?xid=homepage) will be asking officials to launch a “major investigation” into whether millions of people illegally voted in the 2016 election, he said Wednesday, continuing to push the demonstrably false claim that [his popular vote loss to Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/4608555/hillary-clinton-popular-vote-final/) was a product of fraud. Trump made the announcement in a pair of early-morning Twitter posts, a day after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer [confirmed to reporters](http://time.com/4645828/white-house-voter-fraud-donald-trump-belief/) that the new President “continues to maintain that belief” that 3 to 5 million people cast fraudulent votes last year. There is no evidence to back up that claim, which has been repeatedly debunked by independent experts, fact-checkers and a bipartisan cast of election officials across the country. “I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and…. even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time),” Trump wrote. “Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/824227824903090176) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/824228768227217408) Spicer on Tuesday cited “studies and evidence that people have presented” to Trump for his accusation that millions illegally voted for Clinton. The author of one study Spicer alluded to has repeatedly made clear the study does not support that assertion. ### Photographing the First Days of Donald Trump's America  A protest called "The Mike Pence Queer Dance Party" outside of Pence's Home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The dance event was organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace to protest Mike Pence's record on gay and transgender rights on Jan. 18, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Neighbors and LGBT supporters watch "The Mike Pence Queer Dance Party" protest near Pence's Home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The dance event was organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace to protest Mike Pence's record on gay and transgender rights on Jan. 18, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Protestors on their way to the "The Mike Pence Queer Dance Party" protest near Pence's Home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The dance event was organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace to protest Mike Pence's record on gay and transgender rights on Jan. 18, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  A woman watches the "The Mike Pence Queer Dance Party" protest near Pence's Home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The dance event was organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace to protest Mike Pence's record on gay and transgender rights on Jan. 18, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Attendees at the Voices of the People: Make America Great Again Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  The crowd at the Voices of the People: Make America Great Again Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Security at the Voices of the People: Make America Great Again Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Attendees at the Voices of the People: Make America Great Again Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Security at the Voices of the People: Make America Great Again Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Attendees at the Voices of the People: Make America Great Again Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Attendees at the Voices of the People: Make America Great Again Welcome Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Crowds waiting for the inauguration of Donald Trump to be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  An attendee listens to the inauguration address of Donald Trump, after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Crowds waiting for the inauguration of Donald Trump to be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  An attendee reacts to the inauguration address of Donald Trump, after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  A monitors showing the inauguration address of Donald Trump, after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  The crowd reacts to the inauguration address of Donald Trump, after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  An attendee listens to the inauguration address of Donald Trump, after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Crowds waiting for the inauguration of Donald Trump to be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  A member of the US Armed Forces at the Salute to Our Armed Services Inaugural Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Members of the US Armed Forces wait for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during the Salute to Our Armed Services Inaugural Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Members of the US Armed Forces mingle at the Salute to Our Armed Services Inaugural Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Jan 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  U.S. President Donald Trump applauds members of the armed services during the Armed Services Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  A cake at the Presidential Inaugural Salute to our Armed Services Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Attendees relax at the Women's March on Washington, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 21, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Protestors filling the streets at the Women's March on Washington, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 21, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME  Various protest groups at the Women's March on Washington, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 21, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Security watching the Women's March on Washington, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 21, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME  Protestors march to The White House at the end of Women's March in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 21, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME ## Transcript He is stated that before I think he's stated his concerns of vote are fraud and people voting illegally during the campaign. And he continues to maintain I believe based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him. But exactly what evidence? [ UNKNOWN ] Ryan today. He said there's no evidence. The National Association of Secretaries of State say That they don't agree with the President's assessment, what evidence do you have? As I said, I think the President has believed that for awhile, based on studies, information he has. This is [ UNKNOWN ] as I've noted several times now, he's believed this for a long time, and I think he won fairly overwhelmingly, so he's not. I'm asking you, why not investigate something that is- Maybe we will. >> the biggest Biggest scandal in American electoral history. 3 to 5 million people voting illegally? And I think we'll see where we go from here. But right now the focus that the President has, is on putting Americans back to work. 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