For Immediate Release
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Contact: Hannah Goss, hgoss@azdem.org
WHAT THEY’RE READING: Blake Masters Doubled Down on Election Denialism After Scolding from Trump
PHOENIX — Trump called, Masters answered.
After backing away from his long-standing belief that “Trump won in 2020” during the U.S. Senate debate earlier this month, Donald Trump called Masters and scolded him for going “soft” on 2020 election denialism, saying he was going to “lose that base.”
Then, just days later on the first day of Early Voting in Arizona, Masters appeared on Fox News and took Trump’s advice, doubling down on baseless election conspiracies saying “I still believe it, that’s for sure.”
Today, folks everywhere are reading all about how Masters followed Trump’s orders, shamelessly doubling down on his baseless election lies, despite the irreparable harm they’ve done to Arizona.
See below for a roundup of wall-to-wall coverage:
Arizona Republic: After debate, Trump urged Blake Masters to ‘go stronger’ on ‘rigged’ election claims
- Former President Donald Trump pressed Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters to maintain the 2020 election was “rigged and stolen” after Masters had conceded in a public debate he had seen no evidence of widespread fraud, a new documentary shows.
- On Oct. 12, the day early ballots went out in Arizona and after his phone call with Trump, Masters told Fox News that he still feels like Trump would be sitting in the White House “if everyone followed the law”…
- The Masters campaign did not immediately clarify Tuesday whether he still acknowledges there was no evidence of widespread fraud in election administration, as he said during the debate.
CNN: Trump told Arizona GOP Senate nominee ‘you’ll lose if you go soft’ on election fraud claims
- “If you want to get across the line, you’ve got to go stronger on that one thing. That was the one thing, a lot of complaints about it,” Trump told Masters before pointing to Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake as an example.
- “Look at Kari. Kari’s winning with very little money. And if they say, ‘How is your family?’ she says the election was rigged and stolen. You’ll lose if you go soft. You’re going to lose that base,” Trump said.
HuffPost: Fox Shows Donald Trump Coaching Blake Masters In The Big Lie
- “It’s the 1-yard line. If you want to get across the line, you need to be stronger on that one thing … lot of complaints about that,” the former president told Masters.
Vice News: Trump Told Blake Masters He Has to Run on Election Denial If He Wants to Win
- The clip provided a rare firsthand glimpse into the balancing act between pleasing Trump, still the GOP’s acknowledged leader in spite of two impeachments and a lost presidential election, and actually winning in November.
- In Arizona, where President Joe Biden narrowly defeated Trump in 2020, Masters has struggled particularly with independent voters.
Vanity Fair: “You’ll Lose If You Go Soft”: Donald Trump Wanted Blake Masters To Lie More About The 2020 Election
Rolling Stone: Watch: Trump Instructs Senate Candidate How to Lie About Election
The Hill: Trump on call pushes Masters to go harder on election fraud claims: documentary
Newsweek: Trump Chastised Blake Masters for Not Pushing ‘Rigged’ Election in Debate
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