For years during his administration, President Donald Trump claimed that the only way he could be denied a second term was if the election was rigged, thus laying the groundwork for his “stop the steal” campaign after the votes were counted. He was determined to continue spreading misinformation, saying that the election as riddled with illegal voting and fraud.

On election day as the votes were tallied, it looked as if the President was going to win a second term. But his words during the campaign casting doubt on the legitimacy and accuracy of early and mail-in voting may have been his undoing.

A majority of Joe Biden supporters voted early or by mail-in ballot in an election that saw a record number of ballots cast in this manner due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the large number of mail-in ballots, some swing states experienced vote counting and reporting delays, which in turn caused news outlets to postpone their projection of Biden and Harris as the winners until three and a half days after the election.

Trump insisted that the surge in votes for the Democrats among the mail-in ballots was evidence that ballots were being dumped in favor of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to cheat him out of the win.

Investigations after the election showed no evidence of the widespread fraud that Trump and his allies claimed. Republican and Democratic election officials certified the election as valid, courts rejected countless lawsuits and even Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, said he saw no evidence of widespread fraud. Federal agencies overseeing election security said it was the most secure election in American history.

The 117th United States Congress was scheduled to count and certify the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021.

In December, Trump began calling for his supporters to stage a massive protest in Washington, D.C., to argue against certification of the electoral vote.