Unconditional Support for Trump’s Resistance Prior to Election Day in Public Opinion

Prior to the 2020 Presidential Election, it was predicted that then-President Trump would lose the popular vote and Electoral College but refuse to concede. Indeed, this was exactly what occurred and ultimately manifested in the January 6 Capitol Insurrection. Thus, a few weeks before the election we explored support among Trump voters for resisting hypothetical election results when Joe Biden is said to win by a range of popular vote margins. In this paper, we examine whether popular vote margins influence the acceptance of election results, or, if in the novel and contentious 2020 election, Trump voters would resist the results regardless of the closeness of the election itself. Finding the latter, we explore why Trump voters would support the former President’s resistance, and show that the legal challenges, protests and insurrection that followed the election enjoyed support from Trump voters prior to the election itself.