Trump had hinted at a "secret" during a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden, which he claimed would aid Republicans in the November 5 election. This statement sparked apprehension among Democrats, who feared it might be a ploy to snatch victory should Trump lose to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump, during his rally, emphasized the importance of electing Republicans to Congress and the Senate. He said, "With me, we've gotta get the congressmen elected and we've gotta get the senators elected because we can take the Senate pretty easily and I think without the little secret we're gonna do really well with the House right?" He added, "Our little secret is having a big impact. [Johnson] and I have a secret. We'll tell you what it is when the race is over."
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According to Newsweek, Johnson, while rallying for GOP congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie, revealed that the secret was simply a strategy to encourage voter turnout. He said, "It's nothing scandalous, but we're having a ball with this. The media, their heads are exploding. It's a thing we have about — it's a get-out-the-vote. It's one of our tactics on get-out-the-vote."
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Johnson further clarified that the secret was about boosting Republican voting. He said, "All this conjecture is actually hilarious to us, that people are apoplectic about this. It's a — it's one of our get-out-the-vote strategies. That's what we're talking about. And it's almost a tongue-in-cheek thing."
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Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that the secret was related to "countless telerallies reaching millions of Americans across the country in key regions that also helps bolster Republicans in congressional races." However, it remains unclear why Trump stated that the secret would not be revealed until "the race is over."
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The presidential election, like all others on November 5, does not necessitate any candidate to concede defeat before a winner is declared and victory is certified. Trump's refusal to concede defeat after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020 did not ultimately prevent Biden from being sworn in as president after his victory was certified during the joint session of Congress that began on January 6, 2021.
However, Trump's allies in Congress challenged the certification of Biden's win in multiple states, and a mob of Trump supporters, fueled by the then-president's false claims of a "stolen election," violently stormed the Capitol and briefly interrupted proceedings before the process completed.
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Democratic New York Congressman Dan Goldman speculated during a CNN appearance that Trump and Johnson's "secret" was a backup plan for when Trump loses, and he tries to go to the House of Representatives to throw out the Electoral College. Johnson, while indicating that the secret was about encouraging Republicans to vote, did not directly refute suggestions that he might try to obstruct certification or overturn the election result if Trump loses.
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In the unlikely but not impossible scenario that neither Harris nor Trump secures 270 votes in the Electoral College, a "contingent election" would be declared. The selection of the next president would then fall to the House of Representatives, which will be under Johnson's control unless Democrats manage to flip the chamber next month. Each state's congressional delegation, rather than independent members of Congress, would then get to cast one vote for president in a contingent election. As more state delegations are currently controlled by Republicans, and will probably remain so even if Democrats take control of the House, Trump would likely be selected as president.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump in August, suggested that he could also become president "in a contingent election," although the possibility seems very remote. The upcoming election, therefore, promises to be a high-stakes affair, with the "little secret" adding an extra layer of intrigue to the proceedings.