Trump claims without proof Democrats are ‘trying to steal’ California primaries

Key points

• Donald Trump has alleged without evidence that Democrats are cheating in California’s primaries and claimed in a late-night social media post that the US attorney’s office in Los Angeles was investigating.
• As counting continues in the most populous state in the US, the president’s unfounded remarks are likely to further alarm election observers, who have warned of the risk of escalating misinformation in the absence of a final result.
• Trump has a history of undermining election results that don’t go in his favor.
• He has repeatedly alleged that Democrats “stole” the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden, despite privately admitting his defeat, according to aides.
• At 12.48am on Thursday, Trump posted: “The Dumocrats are at it again!