If Kamala Harris secures a decisive victory in the upcoming election, it will render any attempts by Trump to contest the outcome futile. Regardless of his actions—whether he protests or tries to incite unrest—the overwhelming support for Harris will stand unchallenged. A strong Harris win ensures that no intervention, not even from a right-leaning Supreme Court, can alter the result. A clear message from the people would leave no room for unjustified resistance or interference.
And keep in mind, Trump is no longer leading the government. This makes any notion of Trump “stealing” power in the event of a clear Harris victory much more unlikely.
Second, consider the many laws that have gone into effect since 2020 that make cheating much harder. Republicans could be victims of their own voting enforcement laws as Democrats would undoubtedly point them and say, “Our elections are even more airtight these days thanks to the implementation of a bunch of MAGA-enforced rules we didn’t need.
So, what would be considered too large a victory to even think about “stealing?”
Forcing Trump to have to successfully overturn results in 3 or more states in order to get Harris below the 270 threshold that’s needed to win. And if she wins any of those states by 0.05 percent or more, the challenge would become significantly greater.
Ideal situations for Trump
Trump is aiming for either a decisive victory or a tightly contested election determined by just one or two pivotal states. Imagine if, late on November 6th, the results from 49 states are clear-cut, but Pennsylvania (like Florida in 2000) remains incredibly close, with Harris leading by a mere 0.2%. In such a scenario, the potential for questionable tactics becomes significant.
So, in the event Harris wins one or two states by less than 0.05 percent – and she needs the state(s) in order to reach 270, Trump will file numerous challenges to the election results, hoping to delay certification past the deadline, which would, by law, shift the election’s outcome to the states. In such a scenario, the right-leaning Supreme Court could play a crucial role. If they don’t reach a decision and the election remains unresolved, state conventions would cast votes with each state having one vote. Given that Trump holds a majority of states firmly in the Republican camp, he would secure victory through this process.
But, before any involvement by the U.S. Supreme Court, issues would be addressed on the state level. In 2020, all of Trump’s complaints were settled by the states. Of the 7 current swing states, Democrats control 3 state Supreme Courts, 5 governorships, and 2 state legislatures. Michigan is the only battleground state Democrats control exclusively while Georgia is the lone swing state Republicans control exclusively.
To ensure a Harris victory without the threat of Trump attempting to steal the election, a decisive win is crucial. While Trump might manage to challenge her in one or even two states, the likelihood of his success decreases significantly with three. If he must block certification in four states to undermine an election that she rightfully won, it would be so egregious that even the Supreme Court would intervene to uphold fairness and justice.