Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) has sharply criticized former President Donald Trump following reports that Trump intends to declare the 2020 election results in Georgia illegitimate due to fraud. Ossoff referred to Trump's alleged actions as a continuation of a "spiral" by a "failed president."
"Donald Trump’s spiral continues," Ossoff wrote on X. "The failed president, pocketing billions as he drives up prices, is afraid to lose the midterms. So he will reheat debunked election conspiracy theories and tell bizarre new lies to deny his 2020 defeat and attack voting rights."
Reports from the right-wing news site The Washington Reporter indicate that Trump plans to announce that the 2020 election results in Georgia, which led to Ossoff and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) winning their seats after runoffs, were illegitimate. This announcement is expected in conjunction with a speech Trump plans to give on Thursday evening, which he announced on Truth Social.
While The Washington Reporter cited an anonymous Georgia Republican stating that Trump's speech would not primarily focus on the 2020 elections, the source claimed to have been notified of the speech and its initial focus on Georgia's election results in advance. Ossoff suggested that Trump's reported fixation on Georgia elections reveals his frustration with the role Black voters played in his 2020 defeat.
Ossoff also commented on Trump's reported plans in relation to his midterm opponent, Mike Collins, whom Ossoff called Trump's "puppet." "Already mired in scandal, Mike will now have to double down on conspiracy theories toxic in the General Election," Ossoff stated.
Senator Warnock also voiced his opposition to Trump's reported intentions. "Donald Trump is at war with our democracy and Georgia is ground zero," Warnock posted on X. "But this is John Lewis’ Georgia. We are not intimidated. We are not moved."
Warnock further questioned Trump's focus, writing, "Mr. President, instead of attacking our democracy, why don’t you do something about the high cost of gas, housing, and health care?" He accused Trump of attempting to "cast doubt on 2020 to justify interfering in 2026."