Decryption | An obsession that persists

(New York) How far will Donald Trump go in pursuing his obsession with the 2020 presidential election?

On January 21, during his speech in Davos, the American president predicted that “people will soon be prosecuted” for their role in the imaginary rigging of this election.

A week later, the FBI conducted a search of an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, at the heart of Donald Trump’s unfounded allegations of fraud. They seized ballots, voter lists and scanner images linked to the 2020 presidential election, even though previous investigations found no evidence of fraud.

Democrats have sounded the alarm. “This is a clear warning ahead of the midterm elections,” Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff said last Wednesday evening on MS NOW. “(Donald Trump) tried to seize power after his defeat in 2020. We must prepare for all kinds of maneuvers and shenanigans. »

But Georgia isn’t the only state where Donald Trump’s obsession with the 2020 presidential election is having repercussions these days. Minnesota is different, as we will see later.

What was Tulsi Gabbard doing there?

But first, let’s revisit one of the more bizarre aspects of the search in Georgia, where Joe Biden won by 11,779 votes in 2020 and where Donald Trump unsuccessfully begged a Republican official to “find him 11,780 votes” to reverse that result.

Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, was surprised by a Reuters photographer in one of the warehouses where the FBI search took place. What was she doing there? “Director Gabbard plays a crucial role in securing elections and protecting their integrity from interference,” the Trump administration responded.

Tulsi Gabbard is also the one who requested in July 2025 that Barack Obama and other former officials be prosecuted for having participated in a “conspiracy” aimed at demonstrating that Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election was attributable to Russian interference.

Today, after being excluded from two major issues – Iran and Venezuela – she is reportedly trying to regain Donald Trump’s favor by looking for a Democratic “plot” in Georgia.

Part of Democrats’ concern is that no one knows where ballots and other seized materials are located in Fulton County.

Three “stolen” victories

In Minnesota, Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he won not only the 2020 presidential election in the Midwestern state, which is false, but also the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections, which are equally false.

Earlier this month, he told oil industry executives that the FBI would not share evidence about Renee Good’s death with local officials because they had “stolen” his election victories in Minnesota.

“They are corrupt officials,” he said. I feel like I won in Minnesota. I think I even won it three times. »

A White House spokeswoman did not deny that the crackdown by ICE in Minneapolis was in some way retaliation for the “theft” of these elections.

In a letter dated January 24, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi added that Minnesota could help end this repression by agreeing to turn over its voter rolls, one of three measures demanded.

That request, which Minnesota officials opposed, gained attention because it had nothing to do with immigration enforcement.

“It’s blackmail”

For the record: the Department of Justice asked 44 states to hand over their electoral rolls, in addition to the social security and driver’s license numbers of registered voters. Twenty-four states run by Democrats face lawsuits over their refusal to comply, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. They believe the request violates federal and state election laws in addition to flouting privacy laws.

The Justice Department says it wants to ensure that states’ voter registration practices comply with federal law and preserve the integrity of elections.

But Democrats suspect the Trump administration of wanting to interfere in the organization of the midterm elections, if only to be able to question the integrity of the system. The FBI’s search of Fulton County would serve that purpose, they say.

And Pam Bondi’s letter to Minnesota is no less disturbing than this search, according to Arizona elections official Adrian Fontes.

“That’s not leadership. It’s blackmail,” said this Democratic elected official in a video broadcast on However, the law does not work that way. This is how organized crime works. »