Citing fraud, Donald Trump calls for Ted Cruz's caucus victory to be nullified: He "didn't win Iowa, he stole it"

Trump joins Ben Carson's protest of voter fraud following Iowa caucus losses

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published February 3, 2016 3:10PM (EST)

  (AP/Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/Brendan McDermid/John Minchillo)
(AP/Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/Brendan McDermid/John Minchillo)

So much for magnanimous Trump. In a return to form, Trump is now accusing Ted Cruz of stealing the Iowa caucus and calling for a nullification of the election results, citing voter fraud.

The blustery billionaire and surprise Republican presidential frontrunner finished a disappointing second in the Iowa caucuses Monday night and after delivering an uncharacteristically subdued non-concession speech, Trump's finally unleashed the sore loser tantrum America's been expecting.

Trump is now undermining the legitimacy of Cruz's win on Monday, tweeting that the Texas senator "stole" the election, as evidenced by pre-caucus polling that predicted a Trump win:

Despite receiving previously unheard of headlines noting his "gracious" tone in defeat, Trump complained that the media had unfairly covered his historic second place finish before really setting his aim on Cruz:

Trump then rallied to the defense of rival Ben Carson in order to provide further "proof "of Cruz's nefarious politicking. On Tuesday, the Cruz campaign apologized for what Carson called "dirty tricks" during Monday night's caucusing when the Cruz campaign told precinct staffers that Carson had dropped out of the race:

Trump also cited Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate's condemnation of a Cruz campaign mailer accusing some Iowans of a "voting violation" in an effort to scare voters into participating in the caucuses:

Donald Trump Is Not Used To Losing


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

MORE FROM Sophia Tesfaye


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Aol_on Ben Carson Donald Trump Gop Civil War Iowa Caucuses Ted Cruz