Trump Hails Arizona GOP Senate for Election Audit at Phoenix Rally

Former President Donald Trump applauds supporters prior to speaking at a Turning Point Action Summit in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 24, 2021. Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo

Former President Donald Trump hailed the Arizona state Senate on July 24 for its months-long audit of Maricopa County’s 2.1 million ballots and election equipment, while pressing Arizona’s attorney general to investigate the audit’s findings.

Speaking at an event in Phoenix called “Rally for Election Integrity,” Trump said the state Senate did the right thing when it authorized an audit of the county, a process that’s still ongoing.

“We will fight for truth, transparency, and accountability, and we will not stop until we have restored our American birthright of honest, free, and fair elections,” he said in his speech. “We’re gathered here in Phoenix to show our support for election integrity and for the brave and unyielding conservative warriors in the Arizona state Senate.”

Trump praised Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward, who has frequently posted about alleged election fraud since last November, describing her as someone who is “really a fighter.”

“I called up Kelli recently. I said, ‘Why wouldn’t the governor want an audit?’ Maybe everything will prove to be correct, which we know won’t happen,” Trump remarked, referring to Gov. Doug Ducey. “Why wouldn’t somebody want election integrity? Why wouldn’t they want to know? And I would be very happy—won’t happen—but I would be very happy if they did it and everything was perfect. But you’re not going to find that.”

Former President Donald Trump applauds supporters as he arrives to speak at a Turning Point Action Summit in Phoenix, on July 24, 2021. Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo

Trump, who has clashed with the Arizona governor in the past, noted that he wouldn’t be supporting Ducey in the future.

“He’s not getting my endorsement.”

Trump’s speech also applied more pressure on Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is running for one of Arizona’s U.S. Senate seats.

“Hopefully, he’s going to do what everybody knows has to be done,” Trump said, referring to Brnovich.

The attorney general didn’t attend the Arizona event because of a family commitment, local news website AzCentral reported.

Former President Donald Trump makes an entrance at the Rally To Protect Our Elections conference in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 24, 2021. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Brnovich and Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs are currently embroiled in a battle over whether to investigate and prosecute alleged voter fraud in the state. After Brnovich issued a request to Hobbs’s office, she responded in turn by saying that the attorney general should investigate state Republican Rep. Mark Finchem.

President Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to be certified as the winner of Arizona’s election since 1996, defeating Trump by less than 1 percentage point. Biden also defeated Trump in Maricopa County, the most populous county in the state, by about 2 percentage points.

Brnovich’s office didn’t respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment by press time.