1) Trump Planned to Declare Victory Regardless of Results

According to the filing, Trump intended to declare victory no matter the outcome of the 2020 election. He allegedly told aides that winning or losing didn’t matter—what was important was continuing to fight. The document highlights that even before Election Day, Trump was preparing to challenge the results. He was informed that initial returns might give him an early lead, with mail-in ballots favoring Democrats to be counted later. Despite knowing this, Trump allegedly made plans to prematurely declare victory before all the votes were in. His advisors were reportedly aware that this strategy was more about making a public declaration of victory rather than securing an actual win.

2) Trump Knew His Allies’ Fraud Claims Were “Crazy”

The filing shows Trump knew that many of the fraud claims made by his allies were implausible. In one instance, Trump allegedly described the fraud theories of a lawyer, suspected to be Sidney Powell, as “crazy” and even likened them to science fiction. Despite his skepticism, Trump continued to support and amplify these claims publicly. When his legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, failed to prove fraud in court, Trump reportedly dismissed concerns over the lack of evidence, suggesting that the details didn’t matter.

3) Pence Urged Trump to Accept the Results

The document sheds light on the breakdown of the relationship between Trump and his Vice President, Mike Pence, following the election. Pence is said to have consistently advised Trump to accept the results. Initially, Pence recommended that Trump avoid conceding but acknowledge that the election process was over. He also suggested that Trump focus on running again in 2024. However, as time went on, Trump allegedly pressured Pence to support his attempts to overturn the election, warning him that people would view him as weak for acknowledging the loss. The filing includes details on how, by January 6th, Trump’s supporters were calling for Pence to be hanged during the Capitol riot. Trump’s alleged response upon learning that Pence might be in danger was indifferent, asking, “So what?”

4) Campaign Staff Fueled Chaos During Vote Counting

The filing also outlines how Trump’s campaign allegedly tried to stir unrest in battleground states while votes were being counted. When a surge of votes for Biden was counted in Detroit, a Trump campaign operative reportedly told a colleague to find a reason to challenge them, suggesting they could incite riots. In Pennsylvania, another swing state, campaign officials allegedly provoked confrontations, which were then used to claim legal observers were not given proper access to the vote-counting process. These actions, according to the filing, contributed to an atmosphere of chaos and tension.

5) Trump Sought to Exploit the Capitol Riot

Prosecutors allege that Trump incited the Capitol riot on January 6th through repeated false claims about election fraud. In a speech on the day of the riot, Trump allegedly signaled to his supporters to take action and implied that he would join them in marching to the Capitol. Although this allegation has been raised before, the filing argues that Trump was acting as a political candidate, not as the sitting president, during these events. The document contends that Trump and his allies sought to exploit the chaos at the Capitol in order to delay the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. According to the filing, Trump watched the riot unfold on social media and TV, refusing to heed advisors’ requests to call off his supporters or issue a statement to de-escalate the violence.

This filing is part of a larger investigation into Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, highlighting key moments, decisions, and interactions that the prosecution believes demonstrate criminal intent.