Fact Check

Yes, Trump said, 'They rigged the election, and I became president'

Context seems to suggest he was referring to 2024 election. What’s unclear is who he meant did the rigging.

by Taija PerryCook, Published March 10, 2025 Updated Aug. 4, 2025


A white man wearing a blue suit stands next to another white man wearing a blue suit. A large gold award that says FIFA in gold letters at the bottom stands between them. A portrait of a white man wearing a black suit is seen on the wall.

Image courtesy of Getty Images


Claim:
During a news conference with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in March 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump said, "They rigged the election, and I became president."
Rating:
Correct Attribution

About this rating

Context

Context seems to suggest Trump was referring to the 2024 election. What’s unclear is whether Trump meant that he won the 2024 election despite a "rigged election” or as a result of one.


In March 2025, a video of U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly stating, "They rigged the election, and I became president," circulated on the internet, with many claiming that he was referring to the 2020 election, which Trump lost to former President Joe Biden, as opposed to the 2024 election, as some users alleged or implied.

The claim that Trump made the remark spread across multiple platforms, including Instagram (archived), Bluesky (archived) and X (archived).

The video is authentic. The circulated clip is from a news conference on March 7, 2025, during which Trump met with International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino to sign an executive order establishing a White House task force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 event. Cities across Canada and Mexico, as well as the U.S., will host.

 
Beginning at minute 2:46, Trump said:
 
I love what he said, like three Super Bowls a day for a month. That's what it is. That's really amazing when you think of it. I've never heard that expression. That's a lot. You know when we made this [plan] it was made during my term, my first term, and it was so sad because they said, 'Can you imagine? I'm [you're] not going to be president. And that's too bad.' And what happened is, they rigged the election, and I became president. So that was a good thing, that was a good thing, that was quite an achievement for both of us. So I'll be president during the World Cup.
 
The full context appears to suggest Trump was referring to the 2024 election; given Trump's wording, it's unclear whether he meant that he won the 2024 election despite the "rigged election" or as a result of it. However, because Trump did not explicitly say which election year he was referring to or who he was alleging "rigged" the election, some hard details remain unclear.

By Taija PerryCook

Taija PerryCook is a Seattle-based journalist who previously worked for the PNW news site Crosscut and the Jordan Times in Amman.


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