First Term Record — January 2, 2021 Georgia election fraud pressure campaign fact-checked

Trump Called Georgia's Secretary of State and Asked Him to "Find 11,780 Votes." The Call Was Recorded.

On January 2, 2021 — four days before the Capitol attack — Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. He spent an hour pressing him to reverse Georgia's certified election results, claiming the election had been stolen. He asked Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" — exactly one more than Biden's 11,779-vote margin of victory in Georgia. Raffensperger refused. His office had recorded the call. The Washington Post published the transcript. Three years later, Trump was indicted by a Georgia grand jury on 13 counts including racketeering.

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Biden had won Georgia by 11,779 votes — a margin confirmed by a hand recount, a machine recount, and an audit. Georgia was certified by Raffensperger, a Republican. Both of Georgia's US Senate seats had been won by Democrats in January 5 runoffs. Trump's own Department of Justice, his own DHS Cybersecurity agency (CISA), and his own attorney general had said the election was secure. Sixty-two courts, including courts presided over by judges appointed by Trump, had rejected his election challenges. None of this stopped the call.

"So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break."

— Donald Trump, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, January 2, 2021. The call was recorded and published by the Washington Post.

The hour-long call covered a remarkable range of claims, each of which Raffensperger and his counsel Ryan Germany patiently refuted on the call. Trump claimed 5,000 dead people had voted in Georgia — Germany said the actual number they'd found was two. Trump claimed 4,502 illegal voters had voted in multiple counties — Germany said that after investigation they'd found no evidence of that. Trump cited a claim about suitcases of ballots pulled from under tables in Fulton County — Germany explained it was a debunked misrepresentation of routine ballot processing procedures caught on video. At the end of the call, Trump returned to his central ask: there was fraud, Raffensperger could find the votes, and he needed to do so.

Raffensperger was a Republican who had voted for Trump. He certified Georgia's results anyway because the results were accurate. He faced death threats, harassment, and a primary challenger backed by Trump for his refusal to go along with the pressure. He won his primary anyway. In August 2023, Trump was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury on 13 counts including violation of Georgia's RICO statute, conspiracy to commit election fraud, and filing false statements. The Trump DOJ terminated federal prosecutors who had been working on related investigations after Trump returned to office in 2025, and the federal cases were dropped. The Georgia case was challenged on grounds of prosecutorial conflict of interest and remained in procedural limbo as of early 2026.

Verification note

This post distinguishes between documented facts, allegations, and analysis. Where motive, intent, corruption, or illegality remains disputed in the public record, the text attributes that judgment to court findings, official records, direct quotes, or the reporting linked below.

The Sources
  • Washington Post — published recording and transcript of January 2, 2021 call, January 3, 2021.
  • Biden margin — 11,779 votes; certified by Georgia Secretary of State December 7, 2020; confirmed by three separate counts.
  • Dead voter claim rebuttal — Ryan Germany on the call: "Two. The actual number were two."
  • Georgia indictment — August 14, 2023; 13 counts; District Attorney Fani Willis; Fulton County.
related post← January 6: The Plan. related postSecond Impeachment: Incitement of Insurrection. →