Philadelphia officials push back at Trump allegations

Philadelphia officials in both parties on Tuesday pushed back against former President Trump’s baseless claims of “cheating” in the city’s elections.

The former president on Truth Social claimed without evidence there was talk of fraud in Philadelphia, a Democratic stronghold in the pivotal battleground of Pennsylvania.

"A lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia. Law enforcement coming!!!" Trump posted on Truth Social without providing any specifics or evidence to back up his claim.

Seth Bluestein, a Republican city commissioner in Philadelphia, posted on X that there was "absolutely no truth to this allegation."

"It is yet another example of disinformation. Voting in Philadelphia has been safe and secure," Bluestein posted on X.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, said there was "no factual basis whatsoever" for Trump's claims.

“My response to Trump's unfounded allegation of cheating in Philly's general election: "We have invited complaints and allegations of improprieties all day. If Donald J. Trump has any facts to support his wild allegations, we want them now. Right now. We are not holding our breath," Krasner posted on X.

Trump has in recent days made baseless or misleading claims about voter fraud, particularly in Pennsylvania, which is widely seen as the tipping point that could determine the winner of the presidential election.

Critics have raised concerns that Trump’s claims could be laying the foundation for him to undermine confidence in the election results and challenge them if he loses. He has previously said he would accept the election results if they were “honest.”

Trump still has not acknowledged defeat in the 2020 election, and he spent weeks spreading unproven claims about widespread voter fraud, particularly in Democratic strongholds like Philadelphia and Detroit. His repeated claims culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.