Trump demanded Arizona Gov. Ducey overturn 2020 election

Former President Donald Trump in a 2020 phone call attempted to pressure Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to overturn his state’s election results, according to a new report.

Three people familiar with the call, who asked not to be identified, told the Washington Post that Trump phoned Ducey just as he was certifying the results of the election on Nov. 30. While the Republican governor did not answer, he knew it was Trump calling because of his “Hail to the Chief” ringtone. When the pair did finally speak, Trump asked Ducey to investigate allegations of voter fraud, which he believed would justify overturning the election.

The former Commander-in-Chief also reached out to then-Vice President Mike Pence with a similar request. Trump reportedly asked his number two to speak with Ducey and convince him to seek out evidence to support his fraud claims. While they did discuss the election on several occasions, Pence did not pressure Ducey, as his boss requested, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Trump lost in Arizona by more than 10,000 votes and no evidence has been uncovered to support his claims of fraud.

While Ducey told reporters in December 2020 that he and Trump had spoken, he declined to provide details about the call. Almost three years later, Ducey still has not publicly discussed his conversations with the former president. He did, however, confide in a major Republican donor earlier this year, saying that he did in fact feel “pressure” to follow through on Trump’s request, according to the Post.

In the same conversation, Ducey noted he was surprised he was not contacted by special counsel Jack Smith, who was tasked with investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to the donor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Ducey, who left office earlier this year due to term limits, did not record the call, people familiar with the matter said. He also declined to comment when reached by the Washington Post.

“This is neither new nor is it news to anyone following this issue the last two years,” spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said in a statement. “Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizona’s 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. None were ever brought forward.”