Donald Trump Faces Widespread Public Fury After Reportedly Making Last-Ditch 'Election Fraud' Claims

President Donald Trump posted a series of election-related messages on Truth Social early Tuesday, including an unsupported suggestion that an Alaska Senate candidate had been kidnapped.

In the Alaska post, Trump questioned the candidate's whereabouts and accused Democratic lawyers of fearing prosecution for election fraud. He provided no evidence for either allegation.

Trump described the candidate as a 'FAKE ALASKA CANDIDATE' who was 'MISSING IN ACTION' and claimed that 'NOBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND HIM'.

He also alleged that Democratic lawyers were 'SCARED STIFF OF BEING PROSECUTED FOR ELECTION FRAUD'. The post provided no evidence that Sullivan had been kidnapped or that election fraud had occurred.

Why Alaska's Ballot Is Sparking Confusion

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is defending his seat against Democratic challenger Mary Peltola. The closely watched contest is among several Senate races that could determine which party controls the chamber during the remainder of Trump's presidential term.

A second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, is a retired teacher from Petersburg, a small fishing community in Alaska. He previously denied having contact with Peltola's campaign.

Republican officials have alleged that Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy was intended to confuse voters and divert support from the incumbent. Peltola has denied involvement in efforts to recruit him.

The ballot lists the senator as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent, while the other candidate appears as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation.

Court Setback Before the Latest Trump Election Fraud Claim

The Truth Social post followed a decision in a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration. The Justice Department had sought to prevent Alaska from certifying the Senate election result if incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan lost, pending an investigation into whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were intended for the senator.

On Sunday, 1 November, US District Judge Sharon L. Gleason dismissed the lawsuit, which sought to delay or block certification of the Alaska Senate result. The department had argued that votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan might have been intended for the Republican incumbent, Dan S. Sullivan.

Judge Gleason found that the department had not demonstrated that a court could provide the remedy it sought without compromising ballot secrecy. The Justice Department subsequently filed a notice of appeal.

Alaska officials opposed the lawsuit, arguing that the requested intervention could not be carried out without compromising voter privacy. Judge Gleason found that the Justice Department had not established a workable way to separate the relevant ballots and investigate them while preserving ballot secrecy.

Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also opposed the lawsuit, arguing that the administration's effort to delay certification was not justified by the evidence presented.

The dismissal addressed whether the court could grant the remedy requested by the Justice Department and did not determine whether any election-related wrongdoing had occurred.

Michigan Post Adds to the Midterms Debate

Trump also criticised Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a separate Truth Social post published 20 minutes before the Alaska message.

'Abdul El-Sayed Hates Jews and Hates Blacks,' Trump wrote. He added that El-Sayed 'also Hates Whites' and that 'Only fools would vote for him'. Trump urged his followers to 'VOTE FOR MIKE ROGERS', the Republican candidate in the race.

These were Trump's allegations, and the post did not provide evidence to support them. IBTimes UK had not identified a public response from El-Sayed's campaign at the time of writing.

Polling averages published before Election Day showed El-Sayed leading Rogers, although the reported margins varied by aggregator and methodology. On Point Politics reported an average lead of 7.1 percentage points for El-Sayed, based on 54 public polls, in figures updated 1 November. The polling average is not a prediction of the election result.

El-Sayed has campaigned on progressive policies, including universal healthcare. The contest is taking place in Michigan, a state Trump carried in the 2024 presidential election.

The candidates are competing for support among Michigan's diverse electorate, including Jewish, Muslim and Black voters.

IBTimes UK had not identified a public response from the White House, Daniel J. Sullivan or Peltola's campaign to Trump's Alaska post at the time of writing.

Trump's post did not establish that Daniel J. Sullivan was missing or had been kidnapped. The Alaska Senate contest proceeded into Election Day amid the continuing legal dispute over the two candidates with similar names.