Trump Sparks Concern After Boasting About ‘Little Secret’

In a striking revelation, former President Donald Trump has hinted at a “little secret” he shares with House Speaker Mike Johnson, promising it will have a “big impact” on the upcoming election.

Speaking to a fervent crowd at his MAGA rally in Madison Square Garden, Trump suggested that this secret could significantly bolster their chances in the House.

“I think with our little secret, we are gonna do really well with the House,” Trump declared, adding an air of mystery by stating he would only unveil this information “when the race is over.”

Trump hinting at “secret” with Mike Johnson to be revealed post-election.

Clearest indication yet that if Trump loses, the plan is to sow enough doubt about election results in key states so that the House can declare a contingent election and proclaim Trump the victor. https://t.co/ImOVJIO8ev

— Jacob Glick (@jhglick) October 28, 2024

This enigmatic announcement has left Washington buzzing with speculation about what the GOP presidential nominee and the Republican House Speaker are conspiring.

Politico Playbook, a staple of D.C. gossip, speculated that Trump’s comments might allude to an antiquated Congressional procedure regarding election disputes. The newsletter hinted that Trump could be setting the stage for a contingent election—a situation in which the House of Representatives, rather than the electorate, decides the presidency if no candidate secures the necessary 270 Electoral College votes.

In a contingent election, each state delegation in the House casts a single vote for president, while the Senate delegations vote for vice president. This means smaller states wield equal power to larger ones, such as California, which has 52 House representatives, voting in the same way as Vermont with just one. Currently, more states lean Republican than Democratic, giving Trump a potential edge.

In her widely-read “Letters from an American” newsletter, Boston College history professor Heather Cox Richardson analyzed Trump’s cryptic remarks. “It seems possible—probable, even—that Trump was alluding to putting in play the plan his people tried in 2020,” Richardson wrote.

“That plan was to create enough chaos over the certification of electoral votes in the states to throw the election into the House of Representatives. If the Republicans have control of more states than the Democrats, Trump could pull out a victory even if he had dramatically lost the popular vote.”

Richardson warned that to execute this strategy, Trump would need a “plausibly close election” or at least to persuade his supporters that the election had been stolen from him. “Since he has made virtually no effort to win votes in 2024, this seems his likely plan,” she added.

While Speaker Johnson didn’t address the secret directly in his rally speech, he exuded confidence about the GOP’s future. “I am convinced that in nine days, we are going to grow the House majority, we’re going to take back the Senate, and send Donald Trump back to the White House,” he stated.

As the election draws nearer, all eyes will be on Trump and Johnson to see if their secret strategy becomes clearer—and if it truly can shift the balance of power.