America First (policy)

American foreign policy of nationalism and protectionism

For other uses, see America First (disambiguation).

A request that this article title be changed to America First is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed.

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Political cartoon by Dr. Seuss deriding non-interventionism (1941) This article is part of a series on

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America First is a policy in the United States that emphasizes the fundamental notion of "putting America first", which generally involves disregarding global affairs and focusing solely on domestic policy in the United States. This generally denotes policies of non-interventionism, American nationalism, and protectionist trade policy.[1]

The term was coined by President Woodrow Wilson[2] in his 1916 campaign that pledged to keep America neutral in World War I. A more non-interventionist approach gained prominence in the interwar period (1918–1939); it was also advocated by the America First Committee, a non-interventionist pressure group against U.S. entry into World War II.[3]

One hundred years later, Donald Trump used the slogan in his 2016 presidential campaign and presidency (2017-2021, 2025-present), emphasizing the U.S.'s withdrawal from international treaties and organizations in the administration's foreign policy.[4][5][6] Some media critics have derided Trump's use of the America First policy as "America Alone".[7][8][9]

## History

[edit]

### Origins

[edit]

A campaign advertisement for the 1927 Chicago mayoral election supporting William Hale Thompson bearing the phrase "America First"

As a slogan in American political discourse, "America First" originated from the nativist American Party in the 1850s.[10] The motto has been used by both Democratic and Republican politicians in the United States. At the outbreak of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson used the slogan to define his version of neutrality, as did newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst.[11] The motto was also chosen by Republican Senator Warren G. Harding during the 1920 presidential election, which he won.[12]

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used the phrase at the organization's peak in the 1920s, when racist, xenophobic sentiment was widespread;[13][14] it informed many of their members who ran for political office.[15] The Immigration Act of 1924 sponsored by Washington U.S. representative Albert Johnson proved to legislate xenophobia and white supremacy, excluding immigrants on the basis of ethnicity and national origin in an effort to preserve white racial demographics.[16] Johnson's leading role in the immigration restriction bill elicited strong support from the KKK.[17]

America First is best known as the slogan and foreign policy advocated by the America First Committee, a non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II, which emphasized American nationalism and unilateralism in international relations. The America First Committee's membership peaked at 800,000 paying members in 450 chapters, and it popularized the slogan "America First".[3] While the America First Committee had a variety of supporters in the U.S., the movement was muddled with anti-Semitic and fascist rhetoric.[18] Notable Americans who supported "America First" causes include Elizabeth Dilling, Gerald L. K. Smith,[19][20] and Charles Lindbergh,[21] while Dr. Seuss derided the policy in a number of political cartoons, linking it to Nazism.[22]

In later periods, the slogan was used by Pat Buchanan, who praised the non-interventionist WWII America First Committee and said "the achievements of that organization are monumental."[23] Buchanan's "call for an America First foreign policy has been compared with the America First Committee."[24]

### Donald Trump

[edit]

See also: Trumpism, United States non-interventionism, and American nationalism

|  |

This article is part of
a series about

Donald Trump

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"President Trump's Six Months of America First", a video released by the White House

Donald Trump, who had run against Pat Buchanan in the 2000 Reform Party presidential primaries, first revived the slogan in a November 2015 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.[25] In its early going, the Trump campaign publicized an article by Jeff Kuhner on the World Tribune praising the candidate as a "nationalist who seeks to put America first";[26] campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (who later published a book with the title)[27] promoted Trump with the phrase;[28][29] and both Sarah Palin[30] and Chris Christie[31] featured it in their endorsements of Trump. Trump later incorporated the slogan into his daily repertoire following a suggestion by David E. Sanger during an interview with The New York Times in March 2016, borrowing it from an article that appeared earlier in the month in USA Today[32] and written by U.S. diplomat Armand Cucciniello.[33][34] In subsequent months, without referencing Pat Buchanan's prior usage or the America First Committee, candidate Trump promised that "'America First' would be the major and overriding theme" of his administration, and advocated nationalist, anti-interventionist positions.[35][34]

Following his election to the presidency, "America First" became the official foreign policy doctrine of the Trump administration.[36] It was a theme of Trump's inaugural address, and a Politico/Morning Consult poll released on January 25, 2017, stated that 65% of Americans responded positively to President Trump's "America First" inaugural message, with 39% viewing the speech as poor.[37]

Trump embraced American unilateralism abroad and introduced policies aimed at undermining transnational organizations such as the European Union \-- often deriding them on economic terms[38][39][40][41] \-- while acting or threatening to withdraw or reduce U.S. support and participation in others, including NATO[42][40][39][41] and the United Nations[43][44][45][46]

Pursuing his nationalist but non-interventionist "America First" agenda, Trump withdrew (or threatened to withdraw) the United States from numerous international treaties and agreements, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Paris Climate Accords, and the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA)[46][44][43][47][45]

In 2017, the administration proposed a federal budget for 2018 with both "Make America Great Again" and "America First" in its title, with the latter referencing its increases to military, homeland security, and veteran spending, cuts to spending that goes towards foreign countries, and 10-year objective of achieving a balanced budget.[48]

The administration branded its 2017 National Security Strategy of the U.S. as "an America First National Security Strategy". The introduction to that document reads "This National Security Strategy puts America first. An America First National Security Strategy is based on American principles, a clear-eyed assessment of U.S. interests, and a determination to tackle the challenges that we face. It is a strategy of principled realism that is guided by outcomes, not ideology."[49]

Trump's use of the slogan was criticized by some for carrying comparisons to the America First Committee;[50] however, Trump denied being an isolationist, and said:

> Not isolationist, I’m not isolationist, but I am ‘America First.’ So I like the expression. I’m ‘America First.’[51]

A number of scholars (such as Deborah Dash Moore), commentators (such as Bill Kristol) and Jewish organizations (including the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Council for Public Affairs) criticized Trump's use of the slogan because of its historical association with nativism and antisemitism.[51][52] Others have argued that Trump was never a non-interventionist.[53] Columnist Daniel Larison from The American Conservative wrote that "Trump was quick to denounce previous wars as disasters, but his complaint about these wars was that the U.S. wasn't 'getting' anything tangible from them. He didn't see anything wrong in attacking other countries, but lamented that the U.S. didn't 'take' their resources" and that "he never called for an end to the wars that were still ongoing, but talked only about 'winning' them."[54]

Trump's "America First" policy has been described as a major factor in the perceived increase in the international non-interventionism of the U.S. in the late 2010s, and various media critics such as The New Yorker have described the policy as "America Alone".[7][8][9]

### Other usage

[edit]

White nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes has made contemporary use of the phrase, citing Trump and his presidency as an inspiration for his show.

In mid-2016, while running for a Louisiana Senate seat, David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the KKK, publicly claimed that he was "the first major candidate in modern times to promote the term and policy of America first"[55] (although was preceded by Donald Trump).[25][33][34]

Trump's successor as U.S. president, Joe Biden, discontinued many of Trump's COVID-19-related "America First" policies at the beginning of his presidency, but he initially kept the Trump administration's COVID-19 vaccine export ban in place.[56] As of May 2021, the U.S. had started exporting vaccines out of its borders.[57] The U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack described far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes and former Identity Evropa leader Patrick Casey as leaders of the "America First" movement in a subpoena issued in January 2022.[58]

## In popular culture

[edit]

Following Trump's inauguration, the policy and its phrasing became a subject of international satire through the Every Second Counts video contest inspired by Dutch comedian Arjen Lubach. News satire television programs initially throughout Europe, and later from around the world, comically appealed to Trump to acknowledge their own countries in light of Trump's nationalist slogan, with a narrator mimicking Trump's voice, speech patterns, and exaggerated speaking style.[59][60] Lubach's initial version, for example, ended by noting that "We totally understand it's going to be America first, but can we just say: The Netherlands second?".[61][62]

In Spike Lee's film BlacKkKlansman (2018), David Duke and white supremacists are portrayed as repeatedly using the "America First" slogan.[63]

## See also

[edit]

* Americentrism – Idea that US culture is most important
* American exceptionalism – Idea of the United States as unique nation
* American way – Lifestyle of people in the United States
* Make America Great Again – American political slogan
* Neo-nationalism – Type of nationalism that rose in the mid-2010s
* Political messages of Dr. Seuss
* Trump tariffs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Olson, Lynne (2013). Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's Fight Over World War II, 1939–1941. New York City: Random House. pp. 220, 227, 234, 242, 243. ISBN 978-0-679-60471-6. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
2. ^ Rubino, Rich (January 25, 2017). "Trump Was Not First To Use The "America First" Slogan". HuffPost. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
3. ^ a b Sarles, Ruth (2003). Kauffman, Bill (ed.). A Story of America First: The Men and Women Who Opposed U.S. Intervention in World War II. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-97512-8.[page needed]
4. ^ Shapiro, Ari; Daly, Robert (January 23, 2017). "As Trump Adopts 'America First' Policy, China's Global Role Could Change". NPR. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
5. ^ "The new nationalism – Trump's world". The Economist. November 19, 2016. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
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13. ^ Simins, Jill Weiss (June 20, 2019). “America First:” The Ku Klux Klan Influence on Immigration Policy in the 1920s. Hoosier State Chronicles. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
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Dunn, Susan (April 28, 2016). "Trump's 'America First' has ugly echoes from U.S. history". CNN. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017. "Seeking to brand itself as a mainstream organization, America First struggled with the problem of the anti-Semitism of some of its leaders and many of its members."
Powers, Richard Gid (1995). Not Without Honor: The History of American Anticommunism. Free Press. p. 167. ISBN 0-684-82427-2. "The America First Committee and Norman Thomas's group tried to maintain their distance from anti-Semites and fascists, but the lunatic fringe of countersubversives was drawn irresistibly to them, wild for the possibility of become part of a powerful mainstream political movement. Gerald L. K. Smith, Elizabeth Dilling, Gerald B. Winrod, William Dudley Pelley, Charles Coughlin, Laura Ingalls, and all of the country's other notorious anti-Semitic anticommunist crackpots joyously raised the temperature of the debate by attacking defense preparations as Jewish inspired and Communist directed."
19. ^ Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (1898–1976). Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
20. ^ April 10, 1946. Gerald L.k. Smith, “america First” Head, Sentenced to 60 Days in Jail. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
21. ^ Honoroff, Zach. Who is Elizabeth Dilling, and Why is Glenn Beck a Fan? History News Network. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
22. ^ Gottschalk, Molly (February 3, 2017). "Dr. Seuss Satirized 'America First' Decades before Donald Trump Made It Policy". Artsy. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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25. ^ a b Trump, Donald J. (November 10, 2015). "Ending China's Currency Manipulation". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020. "The American people need an administration that will tell them the truth and a president who will put America first. That's what I intend to do."
26. ^ Kuhner, Jeffrey T. (July 2, 2015). "The Elites' Problem with Donald Trump: He's Not For Sale" (Press release). World Tribune. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016.
27. ^ Cooper, Elise (October 8, 2020). "Book Review: Trump: America First". Military Press. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
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29. ^ The Situation Room. November 11, 2015. CNN. The Situation Room.
30. ^ Blaine, Kyle (January 19, 2016). "So, Uh, Here's The Full Text Of Sarah Palin's Bizarre Trump Speech". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
31. ^ Wolf. February 26, 2016. CNN. Wolf.
32. ^ III, Armand V. Cucciniello. "Don't dismiss Trump on foreign policy: Column". USA Today. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
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34. ^ a b c Haberman, Maggie; Sanger, David E.; Trump, Donald (March 26, 2016). "Transcript: Donald Trump Expounds on His Foreign Policy Views". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
35. ^ DelReal, Jose A. (April 27, 2016). "Trump, pivoting to the general election, hones 'America First' foreign policy vision". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
36. ^ "America First Foreign Policy". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2017 - via National Archives.
37. ^ Sherman, Jake (January 25, 2017). "Poll: Voters liked Trump's 'America first' address". Politico. Archived from the original on January 25, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
Savransky, Rebecca (January 25, 2017). "Majority of Americans approves of Trump's 'America First' message". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
38. ^ Borger, Julian (February 10, 2017). "EU foreign policy chief tells Trump not to interfere in Europe's politics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
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40. ^ a b "Trump meets with NATO leader as tensions test the alliance," April 2, 2019, Associated Press in Fox News, retrieved January 19, 2024; quote: "The president ran on an 'America First' platform and has suggested he might be willing to pull the U.S. out of NATO if member counties don't significantly boost their defense spending."
41. ^ a b Singh, Namita: "Trump refuses to commit to Nato in second term at Fox News town hall: Trump has complained in past about Nato members not upholding their end of financial commitment to alliance," January 11, 2024, The Independent, retrieved January 19, 2024
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* v
* t
* e

Donald Trump

* 45th (2017–2021) and 47th (2025–present) President of the United States

Life and
politics|

* Business career
* The Trump Organization
* legal affairs
* business projects in Russia
* links between business partners and Russian government officials
* wealth
* tax returns
* Trump Media & Technology Group
* Media career
* The Apprentice
* American football
* Golf
* Honors and awards
* Political positions
* Trumpism
* Relationship to fascism
* Relationship to antisemitism
* Views on the American Civil War
* Rhetoric
* 2021 CPAC speech
* Endorsements
* False or misleading statements
* Promotion of conspiracy theories
* Protests
* timeline
* Racial views
* Security incidents
* Las Vegas rally incident
* Attempted assassinations
* in Pennsylvania
* raised-fist photographs
* perpetrator
* in Florida
* suspect
* Age and health concerns
* Religion

Family|

* Ivana Trump (first wife)
* Marla Maples (second wife)
* Melania Trump (third wife)
* Donald Trump Jr. (son)
* Ivanka Trump (daughter)
* Eric Trump (son)
* Tiffany Trump (daughter)
* Barron Trump (son)
* Fred Trump (father)
* Mary Anne MacLeod Trump (mother)
* Maryanne Trump Barry (sister)
* Fred Trump Jr. (brother)
* Robert Trump (brother)
* Frederick Trump (grandfather)
* Elizabeth Christ Trump (grandmother)
* Jared Kushner (son-in-law)
* Lara Trump (daughter-in-law)
* Michael Boulos (son-in-law)
* Vanessa Trump (former daughter-in-law)
* Blaine Trump (former sister-in-law)
* Amalija Knavs (mother-in-law)
* John G. Trump (uncle)
* Mary L. Trump (niece)
* Fred Trump III (nephew)
* John W. Walter (cousin)

Books|

* The Art of the Deal (1987)
* Trump: Surviving at the Top (1990)
* Trump: The Art of the Comeback (1997)
* The America We Deserve (2000)
* Trump: How to Get Rich (2004)
* The Way to the Top (2004)
* Trump 101 (2006)
* Why We Want You to Be Rich (2006)
* Think Big and Kick Ass (2007)
* Time to Get Tough (2011)
* Midas Touch (2011)
* Crippled America (2015)
* Our Journey Together (2021)
* Letters to Trump (2023)
* Save America (2024)

Campaigns|

* 2000 presidential campaign
* 2016 presidential campaign
* announcement
* "Make America Great Again"
* hat
* rallies
* links between campaign officials and Russian government officials
* Crossfire Hurricane
* 2016 Republican primaries
* debates
* running mate selection
* convention
* 2016 general election
* endorsements
* debates
* reactions
* transition
* Republican opposition
* Never Trump movement
* 2016
* Mitt Romney speech
* 2020
* 2024
* Sexual misconduct allegations
* Access Hollywood recording
* 2020 presidential campaign
* rallies
* 2020 Tulsa rally
* 2020 Republican primaries
* convention
* 2020 general election
* political endorsements
* non-political endorsements
* debates
* attempts to overturn
* fake electors plot
* Chesebro memos
* Eastman memos
* lawsuits
* Texas v. Pennsylvania
* Jeffrey Clark letter
* Republican reactions to Trump's election fraud claims
* Biden transition
* 2024 presidential campaign
* annoucement
* rallies
* 2024 Republican primaries
* debates
* running mate selection
* convention
* 2024 general election
* eligibility
* endorsements
* debates
* transition
* Kamala is for they/them (attack ad)
* Trump Bible
* "God Bless the U.S.A." (campaign song)
* "Y.M.C.A." (campaign song)

Legal affairs|

* FBI investigation into handling of government documents
* FBI search of Mar-a-Lago
* Gulf of Mexico naming controversy
* New York investigations of the Trump Organization
* Stormy Daniels scandal
* civil
* criminal
* Carroll v. Trump
* Trump v. United States (2022)
* State prosecutions
* Georgia
* New York
* Smith special counsel investigation
* Federal prosecution
* classified documents case
* election obstruction case
* Trump mug shot
* Trump v. United States (2024)

Related|

* Family
* Foundation
* Presidential library
* In popular culture
* Best Sex I've Ever Had
* Trump dance
* filmography
* in music
* SNL parodies
* Residences
* 85-15 Wareham Place
* Trump Tower
* penthouse apartment
* Bedminster
* Mar-a-Lago
* The Visionary
* Colorado State Capitol portrait
* Social media
* media use
* conflict
* Twitter
* wiretapping allegations
* Real News Update
* covfefe
* Donald J. Trump State Park
* Nicknames used
* Trump Force One
* Trump derangement syndrome
* Fort Trump
* Support groups
* Bikers for Trump
* Blacks for Trump
* Black Voices for Trump
* Gays for Trump
* Women for Trump
* Pseudonyms
* Wikipedia coverage

* ← Barack Obama
* ← Joe Biden →

* * *

* Category

* v
* t
* e

First presidency of Donald Trump (2017–2021)

* Previous: Obama administration
* Next: Biden administration

* See also: Second Trump administration

General|

* Appointments
* ambassadors
* attorneys
* judges
* Supreme Court candidates
* Gorsuch
* Kavanaugh
* Barrett
* Cabinet
* Pence vice presidency
* Economic advisors
* Withdrawn appointees
* Short-tenure appointees
* Dismissals and resignations
* attorneys
* Comey
* inspectors general
* Executive orders
* Legal affairs
* Impeachments
* efforts
* resolutions
* impeachment inquiry
* first impeachment
* first trial
* second impeachment
* second trial
* proposed expungements
* Opinion polling
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* Pardons
* Joe Arpaio
* commutation of Jaime Davidson
* Proclamations
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020–21
* Trips
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020–21
* international
* Rex TIllerson
* Mike Pompeo
* North Korea summit
* Singapore
* Hanoi
* DMZ
* Riyadh summit
* Helsinki summit
* Namaste Trump

Events|

| Timeline|

* First 100 days
* 2017
* Q1
* Q2
* Q3
* Q4
* 2018
* Q1
* Q2
* Q3
* Q4
* 2019
* Q1
* Q2
* Q3
* Q4
* 2020
* Q1
* Q2
* Q3
* Q4
* January 2021

|

Speeches|

* Joint address to Congress
* Warsaw speech
* National Scout Jamboree
* State of the Union Address
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* Oval Office Address
* 2019
* 2020
* Farewell address

Other|

* Transition
* Inauguration
* Biden transition

Policies|

| Domestic|

* Government shutdowns
* January 2018
* 2018–2019
* COVID-19 pandemic
* Taskforce
* Communication
* Government response
* stimulus bills
* CARES Act
* Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
* Operation Warp Speed
* White House outbreak
* Interference with science agencies
* Reactions to the George Floyd protests
* Photo op at St. John's Church
* Deployment of federal forces in the United States
* 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration
* National Garden of American Heroes
* Infrastructure
* Racial views
* Social
* First Step Act
* Cannabis
* Space

|

Economic|

* Tax cuts
* Tariffs
* China trade war
* USMCA
* Farmer bailouts

Environmental|

* Paris Agreement withdrawal
* America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018

Foreign|

* America First
* Saudi Arabia arms deal
* Relations with Iran
* Nuclear deal withdrawal
* Relations with Israel
* Jerusalem recognition
* Golan Heights recognition
* Palestine peace plan
* Abraham Accords
* UAE
* Bahrain
* Sudan
* Morocco
* Kosovo–Serbia agreements
* Syria strikes
* 2017
* 2018
* Killings
* al-Baghdadi
* Soleimani
* Afghanistan withdrawal
* Taliban deal
* Proposed invasion of Venezuela

Immigration|

* Travel bans
* reactions
* legal challenges
* protests
* replacement
* Executive Order 13767
* Border wall
* Family separation policy
* protests
* Migrant detentions
* Troop deployments
* National emergency

Protests|

* 2017 Women's March
* list
* Lincoln
* Portland
* Seattle
* global
* LGBTQ
* Travel ban
* list
* Day Without Immigrants
* Not My Presidents Day
* Day Without a Woman
* Tax March
* March for Science
* list
* Portland
* Seattle
* 2018
* People's Climate March
* May Day
* March for Truth
* Impeachment March
* Boston Free Speech Rally (counter-protest)
* U.S. national anthem kneeling protests
* 2018 Women's March
* list
* Gun violence
* March for Our Lives
* list
* Portland
* Seattle
* Family separation
* Abolish ICE
* Families Belong Together
* Occupy ICE
* Women Disobey
* Donald Trump baby balloon
* Kremlin Annex
* Nobody Is Above the Law
* 2019 Women's March
* list
* 2019 Presidents Day protest
* Dump Trump (statue)
* December 2019 impeachment protests
* 2020 Women's March
* January list
* October list
* Racial unrest
* George Floyd protests
* list-USA
* list-abroad
* Trump Statue Initiative
* God Emperor Trump

Related|

* 2016 election
* Trump campaign
* Trumpism
* Donald Trump and fascism
* Social media
* Twitter
* Crossfire Hurricane
* Classified information disclosures
* Special counsel investigations
* Mueller
* Durham
* Links between Trump administration and Russian government officials
* Russian bounty program
* Anonymous senior official op-ed
* Stormy Daniels scandal
* Ukraine scandal
* Federal government data breach
* Attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election
* Fake electors plot
* Chesebro memos
* Eastman memos
* Lawsuits
* Texas v. Pennsylvania
* Jeffrey Clark letter
* January 6 United States Capitol attack
* timeline
* aftermath
* continued protests
* domestic reactions
* international reactions
* Presidential Library

* Category

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*[e]: Edit this template