Trump has already laid groundwork to unleash fraud claims if he loses in Iowa: report

If Donald Trump ends up underperforming in the Iowa caucuses, there's a good chance he'll repeat the claims of fraud he made when he lost to Ted Cruz in the contest back in 2016, the New York Times reported Monday.

Trump has already attempted to blame Ron DeSantis for preemptively rigging the caucuses — which suggest he's preparing to unleash fraud claims again, the report warns.

“If Trump says it’s fraud, he’s full of c---,” said DeSantis supporter and former chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, A.J. Spiker.

Iowa Republicans have a plan for candidates who claim the contest is rigged. "At each site, caucus goers mark their presidential preferences on paper slips. Those slips are then counted in full view of whoever wants to watch. Typically a representative from each campaign watches the counting, and recording is allowed," The Times' report stated.

According to Spiker, the process is "the most transparent straw vote you could possibly do."

Also read: Trump embraces 'stalker' MAGA fan — and even some allies are nervous: report

Trump's attempt to cast the cloud of fraud over Iowa was fueled by comments from DeSantis’s wife, Casey DeSantis, who called on supporters last month to “descend upon the state of Iowa to be a part of the caucus.”

“You do not have to be a resident of Iowa to be able to participate in the caucus,” she said.

But as The Times points out, only Iowans can participate in the caucuses. Casey DeSantis' flub has already allowed Trump to set his narrative.

According to some voting rights groups, the preemptive claims of rigging will be more common moving forward.

“This follows the general playbook, the election denier playbook of just pre-emptively laying the groundwork for claims of fraud in the event of a loss,” said Emma Steiner, the Information Accountability Project Manager at Common Cause, a left-leaning voting rights organization. “It’s sort of future-proofing.”

Read the full report over at The New York Times.