Donald Trump's 'Big Lie' still poses a threat to US democracy

With Donald Trump endorsing candidates seeking office in the upcoming midterm elections who are true believers of his Big Lie, their success could see Trump running for the presidency again and winning if his candidates succeed in overturning election results

It is worth looking back on how Trump’s actions as disinformer-in-chief fuelled political grievances and paranoia on the right and weaponised conspiracy theories about voter fraud in the lead-up to January 6. File photo: AP/Michael Wyke

Consider these two statements from William Barr, the attorney general for former US President Donald Trump. 

In September 2020, he described the process of mail-in voting as “very open to fraud and coercion, reckless and dangerous.” More recently, Barr said Trump had become “detached from reality if he really believes this stuff,” setting himself in opposition to Trump's promotion of baseless election fraud theories.