{"id":46598,"date":"2026-02-09T22:29:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T06:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=46598"},"modified":"2026-02-09T22:29:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T06:29:54","slug":"trumps-rigged-election-claims-as-idiotic-as-saying-super-bowl-fixed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/trumps-rigged-election-claims-as-idiotic-as-saying-super-bowl-fixed\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s &#8216;rigged&#8217; election claims as idiotic as saying Super Bowl fixed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Marc%20Sandalow\">By Marc Sandalow | Special to The Examiner<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feb 8, 2026 (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/4\/13\/413adb72-d69f-4f58-b821-d52d2dd2498c\/69852b556c483.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267\" alt=\"APTOPIX Trump\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>President Donald Trump \u2014 center, seen at Super Bowl LIX in February 2025 \u2014 might be incapable of saying \u201cI lost,\u201d speculates Marc Sandalow.<\/em><em>Ben Curtis\/Associated Press<\/em><em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The only way the New England Patriots can win Sunday\u2019s Super Bowl is if they cheat, and everyone knows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Patriots cheat like hell. They claim they won the 2015 Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. But everyone knows that game was rigged. It was a rigged game. And the fake news never reports it. The way the NFL runs games is a disgrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Seahawks should take over the officiating. No more challenges or replays. It\u2019s the only way to conduct a fair game. If the NFL can\u2019t run games legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sound idiotic? Insane? In a nutshell, this is President Donald Trump\u2019s argument for why the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-nationalize-elections.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">federal government and Republican Party should take over U.S. elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Democrats, he insists, only win elections when they cheat. Joe Biden might claim he won in 2020, but everyone knows that Trump was the winner \u2014 and the media never report it. That\u2019s why, as he said on a podcast last week, the federal government and the GOP should take over U.S. elections, at least in places where he doesn\u2019t win. Otherwise, we\u2019ll never have honest elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analogy has limits. Unlike the Democrats, the Patriots have actually been punished for cheating \u2014 first for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/news\/story?id=3018338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stealing opponents\u2019 signals in 2007<\/a>, then for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/cea8b98866a642c9b87a2560bc920fcb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using under-inflated footballs in 2015<\/a>. There is no evidence to support any of Trump\u2019s allegations of Democratic election fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, five years after losing to Biden by 7 million votes, Trump continues to shout to the world that he has never lost, spewing \u201cfacts\u201d that are demonstrably false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It hardly matters who he is addressing. He tells supporters at rallies that Democrats brought in millions of immigrants to illegally vote. He told business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland, last month that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2026\/01\/davos-2026-special-address-donald-trump-president-united-states-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201c[everyone] now knows\u201d that he won in 2020<\/a>. He told a kid from Pennsylvania who phoned in on Christmas Eve that he\u2019d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/donald-trump-calls-child-christmas-brags-about-winning-pennsylvania-11876057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won the state three times<\/a>&nbsp;(he lost in 2020). He told faith leaders at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., last week that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scrippsnews.com\/politics\/the-president\/trump-questions-how-people-of-faith-could-vote-for-democrats-at-prayer-breakfast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Democrats only win when they \u201ccheat.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is nothing in the real world to support any of those claims. And virtually everyone knows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some speculate he does it to sow doubts about American democracy in case the 2026 midterms don\u2019t work out the way he wants. Perhaps like The Fonz on TV\u2019s \u201cHappy Days\u201d \u2014 who was physically unable to utter the words \u201cI\u2019m wrong\u201d \u2014 Trump\u2019s mouth is incapable of saying \u201cI lost.\u201d Or perhaps he actually believes he won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ex \/\/ Top Stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-20.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46602\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/technology\/openai-100-billion-dollar-funding-round-risky-bet\/article_7c67043f-0321-4fe7-9e3b-9357095ed2bc.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">OpenAI&#8217;s $100B pursuit is &#8216;a massive bet on the future&#8217;<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Investors in the San Francisco artificial-intelligence giant \u2018could be wrong,\u2019 one analyst said \u2014 \u2018but &#8230; what if they\u2019re right?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-21.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46603\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/technology\/what-is-in-california-ai-safety-standards-commission-bill\/article_02175a33-bf74-4ecc-9044-d5c1179db562.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">California bill aims at spurring AI safety standards<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Legislation from Pleasanton state senator would create commission to sanction AI standards, evaluators<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-22.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46604\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/culture\/visual-arts\/bay-area-fashion-brands-design-special-super-bowl-lx-merch\/article_759bc473-a71f-406f-a757-64a98640e3e8.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">Bay Area fashion brands design Super Bowl LX merch<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Local designers created limited-edition merchandise to celebrate the Bay Area hosting the big game<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><video src=\"blob:https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/94332e0a-b78a-4f19-8aa7-af5a0aff9783\"><\/video><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>https:\/\/imasdk.googleapis.com\/js\/core\/bridge3.741.1_en.html#deid=%22%22&#038;eventfe_experiment_ids=%5B%5D&#038;fid=%22goog_1681896690%22&#038;genotype_experiment_data=%7B%22experimentStateProto%22%3A%22%5B%5B%5B45713128%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C745150931%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C749060184%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C128%5D%5D%2C%5B841585769%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45722344%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45706017%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45685340%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45663239%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45715032%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B839547366%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45675307%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45675308%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45688859%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45656766%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710689%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710688%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B775241416%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107958%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45658982%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45725657%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B%5B16%2C%5B%5B1%2C%5B%5B31089630%5D%2C%5B31089631%2C%5B%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1000%2C%5B%5B95332046%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95332047%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95338769%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95338770%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C2%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B50%2C%5B%5B95345206%5D%2C%5B95345207%2C%5B%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95351425%5D%2C%5B95351426%2C%5B%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B20%2C%5B%5B95356068%5D%2C%5B95356069%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356070%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356071%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C100%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95373378%2C%5B%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95373379%2C%5B%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95375930%5D%2C%5B95375931%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95376520%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95378095%5D%2C%5B95378096%2C%5B%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95378629%5D%2C%5B95378630%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381582%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381583%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1000%2C1%2C1000%5D%5D%22%7D&#038;imalib_experiments=%5B95322027%2C95331589%2C95332046%5D&#038;is_eap_loader=false&#038;managed_js_experiment_id=0&#038;page_correlator=1685719576788823&#038;pvsid=8674148529130882&#038;top_accessible_page_url=%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfexaminer.com%2Fforum%2Fdonald-trump-nationalize-elections-super-bowl-2026-rigged%2Farticle_29005c2a-5381-47be-9505-5fefd2774bd4.html%22<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s hard to say which explanation is more scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike football, the outcome has real-life consequences. A week ago, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/01\/30\/nx-s1-5693051\/fbi-seizes-thousands-of-2020-ballots-from-fulton-county-georgia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FBI confiscated thousands of 2020 ballots<\/a>&nbsp;in Fulton County, Ga. \u2014 where Atlanta is located \u2014 and Trump has vowed that people will be prosecuted. Twice last week, he suggested the federal government and the FBI nationalize the elections to oversee ballot counting and prevent cheating, by which he presumably means to prevent Republicans from losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It must be fun to live in a world where you cannot lose. So, on this Super Bowl Sunday, I urge everyone to take a cue from the president \u2014 and by that, I mean celebrate the San Francisco 49ers winning yet another championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The NFL claims the Seahawks are NFC champions after beating the 49ers 41-6 two weeks ago. I refuse to accept that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why? First, it is statistically impossible. The Niners beat Seattle 17-13 in September. No one, not football analysts, the gambling sites, or even Seattleites predicted the Seahawks could win a playoff game by 35 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then there was the rigged NFC Divisional Round. Remember the hoax timeout that erased a 49ers first-down and the fake defensive holding call on Jordan Elliott? What about the holding penalties that went uncalled in the fourth quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It turns out the Patriots aren\u2019t football\u2019s only cheaters. The fake news won\u2019t write it, but the Seahawks stole the game. The 49ers are NFC champions. Christian McCaffrey ran for 1,202 yards, and Brock Purdy threw for 2,167 yards this season. No one has ever seen anything like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which is why no matter who wins Sunday, I say, go Niners! I\u2019m predicting back-to-back 49ers championships. Thank you for your attention to this matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Marc Sandalow is a senior faculty member at the University of California\u2019s Washington Program. He has been writing about California politics from Washington, D.C., for more than 30 years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Trump&#8217;s &#8216;rigged&#8217; election claims as idiotic as saying Super Bowl fixed<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Marc%20Sandalow\">By Marc Sandalow | Special to The Examiner<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feb 8, 2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfexaminer.com%2Fforum%2Fdonald-trump-nationalize-elections-super-bowl-2026-rigged%2Farticle_29005c2a-5381-47be-9505-5fefd2774bd4.html%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?&amp;text=Trump%27s%20%27rigged%27%20election%20claims%20as%20idiotic%20as%20saying%20Super%20Bowl%20fixed&amp;via=sfexaminer&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfexaminer.com%2Fforum%2Fdonald-trump-nationalize-elections-super-bowl-2026-rigged%2Farticle_29005c2a-5381-47be-9505-5fefd2774bd4.html%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitter<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%5BSan%20Francisco%20Examiner%5D%20Trump%27s%20%27rigged%27%20election%20claims%20as%20idiotic%20as%20saying%20Super%20Bowl%20fixed&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfexaminer.com%2Fforum%2Fdonald-trump-nationalize-elections-super-bowl-2026-rigged%2Farticle_29005c2a-5381-47be-9505-5fefd2774bd4.html%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share\">Email<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/4\/13\/413adb72-d69f-4f58-b821-d52d2dd2498c\/69852b556c483.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267\" alt=\"APTOPIX Trump\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>President Donald Trump \u2014 center, seen at Super Bowl LIX in February 2025 \u2014 might be incapable of saying \u201cI lost,\u201d speculates Marc Sandalow.<\/em><em>Ben Curtis\/Associated Press<\/em><em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The only way the New England Patriots can win Sunday\u2019s Super Bowl is if they cheat, and everyone knows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Patriots cheat like hell. They claim they won the 2015 Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. But everyone knows that game was rigged. It was a rigged game. And the fake news never reports it. The way the NFL runs games is a disgrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Seahawks should take over the officiating. No more challenges or replays. It\u2019s the only way to conduct a fair game. If the NFL can\u2019t run games legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sound idiotic? Insane? In a nutshell, this is President Donald Trump\u2019s argument for why the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-nationalize-elections.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">federal government and Republican Party should take over U.S. elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Democrats, he insists, only win elections when they cheat. Joe Biden might claim he won in 2020, but everyone knows that Trump was the winner \u2014 and the media never report it. That\u2019s why, as he said on a podcast last week, the federal government and the GOP should take over U.S. elections, at least in places where he doesn\u2019t win. Otherwise, we\u2019ll never have honest elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analogy has limits. Unlike the Democrats, the Patriots have actually been punished for cheating \u2014 first for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/news\/story?id=3018338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stealing opponents\u2019 signals in 2007<\/a>, then for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/cea8b98866a642c9b87a2560bc920fcb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using under-inflated footballs in 2015<\/a>. There is no evidence to support any of Trump\u2019s allegations of Democratic election fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, five years after losing to Biden by 7 million votes, Trump continues to shout to the world that he has never lost, spewing \u201cfacts\u201d that are demonstrably false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It hardly matters who he is addressing. He tells supporters at rallies that Democrats brought in millions of immigrants to illegally vote. He told business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland, last month that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2026\/01\/davos-2026-special-address-donald-trump-president-united-states-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201c[everyone] now knows\u201d that he won in 2020<\/a>. He told a kid from Pennsylvania who phoned in on Christmas Eve that he\u2019d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/donald-trump-calls-child-christmas-brags-about-winning-pennsylvania-11876057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won the state three times<\/a>&nbsp;(he lost in 2020). He told faith leaders at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., last week that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scrippsnews.com\/politics\/the-president\/trump-questions-how-people-of-faith-could-vote-for-democrats-at-prayer-breakfast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Democrats only win when they \u201ccheat.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is nothing in the real world to support any of those claims. And virtually everyone knows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some speculate he does it to sow doubts about American democracy in case the 2026 midterms don\u2019t work out the way he wants. Perhaps like The Fonz on TV\u2019s \u201cHappy Days\u201d \u2014 who was physically unable to utter the words \u201cI\u2019m wrong\u201d \u2014 Trump\u2019s mouth is incapable of saying \u201cI lost.\u201d Or perhaps he actually believes he won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s hard to say which explanation is more scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike football, the outcome has real-life consequences. A week ago, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/01\/30\/nx-s1-5693051\/fbi-seizes-thousands-of-2020-ballots-from-fulton-county-georgia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FBI confiscated thousands of 2020 ballots<\/a>&nbsp;in Fulton County, Ga. \u2014 where Atlanta is located \u2014 and Trump has vowed that people will be prosecuted. Twice last week, he suggested the federal government and the FBI nationalize the elections to oversee ballot counting and prevent cheating, by which he presumably means to prevent Republicans from losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It must be fun to live in a world where you cannot lose. So, on this Super Bowl Sunday, I urge everyone to take a cue from the president \u2014 and by that, I mean celebrate the San Francisco 49ers winning yet another championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The NFL claims the Seahawks are NFC champions after beating the 49ers 41-6 two weeks ago. I refuse to accept that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why? First, it is statistically impossible. The Niners beat Seattle 17-13 in September. No one, not football analysts, the gambling sites, or even Seattleites predicted the Seahawks could win a playoff game by 35 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then there was the rigged NFC Divisional Round. Remember the hoax timeout that erased a 49ers first-down and the fake defensive holding call on Jordan Elliott? What about the holding penalties that went uncalled in the fourth quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It turns out the Patriots aren\u2019t football\u2019s only cheaters. The fake news won\u2019t write it, but the Seahawks stole the game. The 49ers are NFC champions. Christian McCaffrey ran for 1,202 yards, and Brock Purdy threw for 2,167 yards this season. No one has ever seen anything like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which is why no matter who wins Sunday, I say, go Niners! I\u2019m predicting back-to-back 49ers championships. Thank you for your attention to this matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Marc Sandalow is a senior faculty member at the University of California\u2019s Washington Program. He has been writing about California politics from Washington, D.C., for more than 30 years.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The only way the New England Patriots can win Sunday\u2019s Super Bowl is if they cheat, and everyone knows it. The Patriots cheat like hell. They claim they won the 2015 Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. But everyone knows that game was rigged. It was a rigged game. And&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/trumps-rigged-election-claims-as-idiotic-as-saying-super-bowl-fixed\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46598"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46598"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46605,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46598\/revisions\/46605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}