Donald Trump won the presidency twice – not three times

The claim

Following Donald Trump's victory in this year's U.S. presidential election, Kari Lake, a former TV news anchor and Republican candidate challenging Democrat Ruben Gallego for Arizona's Senate seat, congratulated him with a post saying, "BREAKING: Donald Trump just won his THIRD election! Congratulations, Mr President!"

The post quickly went viral on X, reaching 2.4 million views and 16,000 shares. Lake also shared it on Facebook, where it received 4,300 likes.

However, the claim that Trump won the presidential election for the third time is false. The statement follows Lake's ongoing claims about the 2020 election being "stolen," which have been repeatedly debunked by courts and election officials. Lake made these claims in the aftermath of the 2020 election, and again after losing the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race.

In fact

After Trump's victory in this year's election, claims that the 2020 election was "rigged" resurfaced. The narrative remains widespread, with polling showing two-thirds of Republican voters (and nearly 3 in 10 Americans) still believing that Joe Biden was not legitimately elected. Individuals peddling these claims allege widespread fraud in key battleground states, fake voters and rigged voting machines, with election officials and judges accused of enabling the manipulation that allegedly changed the results.

However, there's no evidence to support these false claims. President Joe Biden won 306-232 in the Electoral College and by four points in the popular vote. There is no evidence of widespread fraud that could have affected the outcome. Federal officials, including those in Trump's administration, confirmed the security of the election. Moreover, dozens of judges, including many Trump appointees, dismissed claims of widespread fraud. 

Lake's claim is therefore false, as Trump won his first presidential election in 2016, and all signs indicate a second victory in 2024, although the vote count remains ongoing at the time of writing.

Logically Facts reached out to Lake, asking her when Donald Trump allegedly won a presidential election other than in 2016 and 2024, and what her reasoning was for this claim. We are still awaiting her response.

Verdict

Donald Trump has won the U.S. presidency twice, not three times, as Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake falsely claims. The 2020 election was proven fair and won by the current U.S. President, Joe Biden.

Follow Logically Facts' coverage and fact-checking of the U.S. Election 2024 here.