Within hours of the 2020 election being called for Joe Biden, a legal campaign was launched to overturn the results. It would become the most extensive effort to subvert a presidential election in American history — filing more than 60 lawsuits, losing nearly all of them, and ultimately culminating in violence. Explore Trump's Legal Team on the map to see the network.

Donald Trump declared victory on election night despite millions of uncounted ballots, then spent the next two months pressuring state officials, federal agencies, and his own vice president to block the transfer of power. He personally called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021, in a now-infamous phone call asking him to “find 11,780 votes.”

Rudy Giuliani led the public-facing legal effort, holding a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping that became an enduring symbol of the campaign's disorganization. Giuliani was later disbarred in New York and D.C. and found liable for $148 million in defamation damages to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers whose lives were destroyed by his false accusations.

Sidney Powell promoted the most extreme conspiracy theories, claiming Venezuelan communists had rigged voting machines. She pleaded guilty in the Georgia RICO case. Jenna Ellis, who called herself a “constitutional law attorney,” was censured by Colorado, admitted making misrepresentations, and cooperated with prosecutors. John Eastman authored the legal memos arguing Vice President Pence could unilaterally reject electoral votes — he was disbarred in California. Lin Wood called for Pence to be executed by firing squad.

Beyond the courtroom losses, a more dangerous plot was underway. The Fake Electors Scheme was a coordinated effort to submit fraudulent electoral certificates from seven states, creating a pretext for Congress — or Vice President Pence — to reject the real ones.

Kenneth Chesebro was the legal architect of the fake electors plan, drafting the memos that provided its theoretical framework. He pleaded guilty in the Georgia RICO case and cooperated with prosecutors in multiple states. His work, combined with Eastman's memos on the vice president's power, formed a two-pronged strategy: create fake electoral votes, then have Pence accept them.

Mark Meadows, Trump's White House Chief of Staff, served as a critical conduit — connecting the legal team, the White House, and state-level operatives. He was charged in both the federal and Georgia cases and ultimately cooperated with special counsel Jack Smith.

The claim that voting machines were rigged became the most persistent and expensive lie of the post-election period. The Voting Machine Conspiracy collection tracks the accusers, the accused, and the legal fallout.

Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, two voting technology companies, were baselessly accused of switching millions of votes. The conspiracy theory — amplified by Sidney Powell, Giuliani, and right-wing media — claimed the machines were connected to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez (who had been dead for seven years).

Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO, became the most vocal promoter, spending tens of millions of his own money on “cyber symposiums” that produced no evidence. Fox News amplified the claims until Dominion sued — the resulting $787.5 million settlement was the largest defamation payout in American media history. Internal Fox communications revealed hosts and executives privately acknowledged the claims were false while promoting them on air. One America News also faced defamation suits.

In Arizona, Cyber Ninjas conducted a partisan “audit” of Maricopa County ballots that ultimately confirmed Biden's win — and actually found he had received more votes than originally counted.

The legal and media campaign converged on January 6, 2021, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of the election. The January 6th collection maps the key participants and events.

The Capitol attack resulted in seven deaths, approximately 140 injured police officers, and over 1,200 criminal prosecutions — the largest investigation in FBI history. Stop the Steal, the organization that promoted the January 6 rally, was backed by dark money and amplified by right-wing media.

Steve Bannon told associates on January 5 that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow.” He was convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the January 6th Committee and served four months in federal prison. Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, had publicly advocated for martial law to “rerun” the election. Alex Jones amplified the “Stop the Steal” narrative and led marchers toward the Capitol.

Mike Pence ultimately refused to go along with the scheme, certifying Biden's win despite immense pressure from Trump and the Eastman memos. The mob chanted “hang Mike Pence” as they breached the building. Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chair of the January 6th Committee, became the most prominent GOP critic of Trump's actions, calling it “the most dangerous thing that a president has ever done.” She lost her primary and her party leadership position.

The legal fallout from the Big Lie extended across multiple jurisdictions and resulted in indictments, plea deals, disbarments, and the largest defamation settlement in media history. See the Legal Consequences collection.

Special Counsel Jack Smith brought a four-count federal indictment against Trump for conspiring to defraud the United States, obstruct the January 6 proceeding, and deprive citizens of their right to vote. The case was ultimately dropped after Trump won the 2024 election, consistent with DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, brought a sprawling RICO indictment against Trump and 18 co-defendants in Georgia. Four defendants — including Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro — pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate.

Peter Navarro, Trump's trade adviser, was convicted of contempt of Congress and served four months in prison for defying the January 6th Committee. Steve Bannon served four months on the same charge. Giuliani was disbarred. Eastman was disbarred. Jenna Ellis was censured. The personal and professional costs for those who participated in the Big Lie have been severe — though the political consequences proved more complicated, as the man at the center of it all won the presidency again in 2024.