United States politics
The recordFiled October 17, 2026Checked October 17, 2026
Sides disagreeGeorgia certified Ossoff's 2021 runoff win over Perdue by 54,944 votes, and Perdue conceded.
At a Dalton rally, Trump said Ossoff "lost that election, but they gave it to him because it was a rigged election." The state's certified results show Ossoff beat Perdue 2,269,923 to 2,214,979, and Perdue conceded days after the vote.
Left
Lean left · Left-leaning US article
Trump in Georgia falsely claims election of Jon Ossoff was illegitimate
George Chidi · October 16, 2026
At a rally in north Georgia, Donald Trump again claimed that the 2020 election in Georgia was fraudulent, alleging that the election of US senator Jon Ossoff was illegitimate.
Right
Lean right · Right-leaning US article
Trump Attacks Jon Ossoff's Looks at Georgia Rally Interrupted by Protesters
Dan Gooding, Steven Frank · October 16, 2026
"Then you had the election with Ossoff vs. David Perdue. And it was a rigged election," Trump said.
We’re interested in your thoughts
Before you see our verdict, what’s your call on this claim?What’s your call on this claim? Our verdict is shown below.
FP verdict
This doesn't match the data.
Confidence score: 1/10 — Georgia's official results show Ossoff won by 54,944 votes, the result was certified Jan. 19, 2021, and Perdue conceded; no evidence of rigging was offered or reported.
Sourced from Georgia Secretary of State, this doesn't match the data.
“Ossoff lost that election, but they gave it to him because it was a rigged election.”
Georgia's official results for the Jan. 5, 2021 runoff show Ossoff with 2,269,923 votes to Perdue's 2,214,979, a 54,944-vote margin, with all 159 counties reporting. The secretary of state certified the result on Jan. 19, 2021, and Perdue conceded days after the election. We found no record that the result was reversed or found to be rigged.
Primary source: January 5, 2021 Federal Runoff: Official Results (Georgia Secretary of State)
How the coverage differs
Based on the full articles
- Shared factsBoth report that Trump, rallying in Georgia for Senate candidate Mike Collins, attacked Jon Ossoff and called his win illegitimate. The Guardian writes that Trump was “alleging that the election of US senator Jon Ossoff was illegitimate”; Newsweek writes that “Trump also revived his claims surrounding Ossoff's 2021 runoff victory over former Republican Senator David Perdue.” Both note protesters were removed and that Ossoff leads Collins in polling.
- Different emphasisThe Guardian, from the left, leads with the election claim and labels it false in its headline, then checks other rally lines, such as noting that most investment pledges “remain unfulfilled.” Newsweek, from the right, leads with Trump's remarks about Ossoff's looks and puts the “rigged election” quote near the end, next to Trump's line “That's what you get when you lose an election.”
- Material differencesThe Guardian calls the claim false but doesn't print the “rigged” wording; Newsweek prints it but doesn't say whether it is true. Newsweek also says Ossoff “won his seat in 2020,” while the official record shows he won it in the Jan. 5, 2021 runoff. Neither gives the vote totals or mentions Perdue's concession.
Shows its work
How this rating was reached
- Lie
- Doesn't hold up
- Misleading
- Mostly false
- Half true
- Mostly true
- True
- Unproven
This verdict doesn't align with the primary source, Georgia Secretary of State: Ossoff 2,269,923, Perdue 2,214,979, all 159 counties; certified Jan. 19, 2021.
Why it doesn't hold up
Two independent records agree: the state's official results show Ossoff won, and AP's report confirms the certification and Perdue's concession. Trump offered no evidence at the rally, and neither article reports any.
- PrimaryGeorgia Secretary of State: January 5, 2021 Federal Runoff: Official Results
- Secondary reportingAssociated Press: Georgia certifies Democrats Warnock and Ossoff's Senate wins
- Secondary reportingCBS News Atlanta: Trump repeats 2020 election fraud claims, takes aim at Ossoff at Georgia rally ahead of midterms
- Secondary reportingNewsweek: Trump Attacks Jon Ossoff's Looks at Georgia Rally Interrupted by Protesters
01
The claim
CBS News Atlanta quoted Trump at the Oct. 16 Dalton rally: "Ossoff lost that election, but they gave it to him because it was a rigged election. That's the only reason he became a senator."
02
What the official record says
The Georgia Secretary of State's official results for the January 5, 2021 Federal Runoff list Jon Ossoff at 2,269,923 votes (50.61%) and David A. Perdue at 2,214,979 (49.39%), with all 159 counties reporting. That is a 54,944-vote margin.
03
Certified, and conceded
AP reported on Jan. 19, 2021: "Georgia's secretary of state certified the results of the two U.S. Senate runoff elections Tuesday, paving the way for Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to be sworn in and for Democrats to take control of the chamber." The same report says: "Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both incumbents, conceded days after the election."
04
The left-leaning framing
The Guardian headlined its story "Trump in Georgia falsely claims election of Jon Ossoff was illegitimate" and reported: "At a rally in north Georgia, Donald Trump again claimed that the 2020 election in Georgia was fraudulent, alleging that the election of US senator Jon Ossoff was illegitimate."
05
The right-leaning framing
Newsweek reported: "Trump also revived his claims surrounding Ossoff's 2021 runoff victory over former Republican Senator David Perdue." It quoted Trump: "Then you had the election with Ossoff vs. David Perdue. And it was a rigged election," and added that Trump "appeared to acknowledge that Perdue lost the race."
06
The buried fact
Neither article gives the result itself. Georgia's certified count has Ossoff ahead by 54,944 votes out of about 4.48 million, and AP reported that Perdue conceded days after the election. In Newsweek's account, Trump said at the same rally: "That's what you get when you lose an election."
- PrimaryGeorgia Secretary of State: January 5, 2021 Federal Runoff: Official Results
- Secondary reportingAssociated Press: Georgia certifies Democrats Warnock and Ossoff's Senate wins
- Secondary reportingNewsweek: Trump Attacks Jon Ossoff's Looks at Georgia Rally Interrupted by Protesters
- Secondary reportingThe Guardian: Trump in Georgia falsely claims election of Jon Ossoff was illegitimate
07
What each side gets right, and hides
The Guardian states plainly that the claim is false, but doesn't print the "rigged" line or the vote totals. Newsweek prints the line and notes Trump appeared to acknowledge Perdue lost, but doesn't give the result, and says Ossoff "won his seat in 2020" when he won it in the Jan. 5, 2021 runoff.
08
The question to ask
Trump said Perdue "actually won that election" and "won it by a lot." The certified count has Perdue 54,944 votes behind, and Perdue conceded. What evidence would show the count was wrong?
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Ossoff, Jan. 5, 2021 Senate runoff (official results) | 2,269,923 (50.61%) | Georgia Secretary of State |
| David Perdue, Jan. 5, 2021 Senate runoff (official results) | 2,214,979 (49.39%) | Georgia Secretary of State |
| Ossoff's margin (computed from the official totals) | 54,944 votes | Georgia Secretary of State |
Caveats and limits
Not verified
- We didn't find a written primary record of a recount, audit or court ruling specific to the Senate runoff, so this report doesn't rely on one.
Caveats
- This report rates the claim about the 2021 Senate runoff. Trump's separate claim about the 2020 presidential election in Georgia is covered in our report "Was the 2020 election stolen from Trump?" (/stories/stolen-election-2020).
- Trump's words are quoted as CBS News Atlanta printed them; the first two sentences match published transcripts of the rally video.
Sources
Primary · official record
January 5, 2021 Federal Runoff: Official ResultsGeorgia Secretary of State · January 19, 2021
Secondary reporting
Georgia certifies Democrats Warnock and Ossoff's Senate winsAssociated Press · Ben Nadler · January 19, 2021
Secondary reporting
Trump repeats 2020 election fraud claims, takes aim at Ossoff at Georgia rally ahead of midtermsCBS News Atlanta · Dan Raby, Jamal Goss · October 16, 2026
Secondary reporting
Trump in Georgia falsely claims election of Jon Ossoff was illegitimateThe Guardian · George Chidi · October 16, 2026
Secondary reporting
Trump Attacks Jon Ossoff's Looks at Georgia Rally Interrupted by ProtestersNewsweek · Dan Gooding, Steven Frank · October 16, 2026
Challenge this verdict
Think we got something wrong? Tell us what and show the source. Submissions are queued and reviewed with AI assistance, not by an independent human. Nothing changes on the site automatically. See corrections.
Also in this edition
- We rate this mostly falseAre gas prices lower than when Biden was president?
- We rate this half trueLaw still lists silencers and short rifles; ATF says enforcement could resume.
- We rate this mostly trueHilton's flat 8% rate cuts the richest filers' state income tax about 40%, and earners near $1 million about 35%.
- We rate this misleadingThe studies behind Hilton's $200,000 figure found $109,000 and $131,734; his own plan calls $200,000 a "working estimate."
- We rate this half trueFederal watchdog found HHS removed sponsor-screening safeguards in 2021; the records cited don't show thousands of children sent to sex traffickers.
- We rate this mostly falseHigh-speed rail gets $1 billion a year from cap-and-trade; Hilton's own plan puts his tax cut near $40 billion.
- We rate this half trueIs Xavier Becerra the 'son of immigrants'?
- We rate this unprovenIs Abdul El-Sayed 'a Muslim Brotherhood guy'?
- We rate this unprovenIs DHS illegally building a national voter database?
- We rate this misleadingAre 70% of ICE detainees criminals, or have 70% no record?
- We rate this doesn't hold upDid Kari Lake win Arizona's 2022 governor race?
- We rate this half trueHave the courts that ruled on Charlie Kirk post cases sided with teachers?
- We rate this doesn't hold upDid an Ohio mental hospital confirm James Talarico was discharged?
- We rate this misleadingDid Trump suggest Iran should attack Los Angeles?
- We rate this doesn't hold upDid South Korea commit $50 billion to the Alaska gas pipeline?
- We rate this doesn't hold upWas the Mall of America plot suspect a Somali immigrant?
- We rate this mostly falseDid Trump settle eight wars?
- We rate this mostly trueAre 20 million seniors getting Trump's Medicare checks?
- We rate this unprovenWould Florida's Amendment 3 slow police response times?
- We rate this doesn't hold upWas the 2020 election stolen from Trump?
- We rate this misleadingIs California laying the high-speed rail track?
- We rate this trueIs the FBI investigating suspicious letters sent to Congress and election offices?
- We rate this trueDid Trump cancel the livestream of the Fort Hood shooter's execution?
- We rate this mostly trueDid inflation rise to 3.7% in September?
- We rate this trueDid James Talarico raise a record $64 million last quarter?
- We rate this trueDid the WSJ report that the Omar probe aims to strip her citizenship?
- We rate this mostly trueWas Ukraine's Starlink restricted, and did it resume refinery strikes?
- We rate this trueDid wholesale prices post their biggest jump since 2022?
- We rate this trueHas the Obama Presidential Center's cost tripled to $1 billion?
- We rate this trueDid Georgia set an early-voting record?
- We rate this trueDid the feds sue to stop California from counting 20,000 suspected noncitizens' ballots?
- We rate this trueWere suspicious letters sent to Schumer and other Democratic senators?
- We rate this doesn't hold upRep. Andy Harris says a student reporter broke Maryland's recording law
- We rate this trueWas Matt Gaetz sued in federal court over sex trafficking allegations?
- We rate this mostly trueWas Nancy Mace's ex-fiancé charged with sex crimes?
- We rate this doesn't hold upIs Katie Zacharia an attorney, as Trump said?
Did this report change how you think?
Anonymous. Your answer is saved only in this browser, and we record anonymous answers per report with a random ID, no name, email or IP address.
Heard something you want checked? Submit a claim