Trump resurrects election-year conspiracy theory that he lost New Hampshire because busloads of Massachusetts voters came north to illegally support Hillary Clinton – two years after Corey Lewandowski debunked it

  • Donald Trump repeated a conspiracy that buses of Massachusetts voters traveled in 2016 to illegally vote for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire
  • 'New Hampshire should have been won last time,' he said before departing for a rally in the state Thursday
  • His former campaign chief Corey Lewandowski debunked the claim in 2017, stating that's 'not what happens'
  • But national security adviser Stephen Miller contradicted Lewandowski, claiming 
  • 'Having worked before on a campaign in New Hampshire, I can tell you that this issue of busing voters in to New Hampshire is widely known,' Miller said in 2017

By Katelyn Caralle, U.s. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Donald Trump breathed new life into a conspiracy theory on Thursday that claimed buses full of Massachusetts voters crossed the border so they could also vote for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.

The president told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey for a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire that he would have won the state if it weren't for the thousands of fraudulent votes from Massachusetts residents.

'New Hampshire should have been won last time,' Trump said as he boasted of the crowd size of the rally set for later Thursday night. 'Except we had a lot of people come in at the last moment, which was a rather strange situation. Thousands and thousands of people coming in from locations unknown. But I knew where the location was.'

The race in New Hampshire was extremely close, with Trump earning 46.5 per cent of the vote and Clinton narrowly beating him with 46.8 per cent.

Trump's former campaign chief, Corey Lewandowski, who is a Massachusetts native, debunked the president's claim two years ago. He admitted there wasn't any evidence to support Trump's claims that Massachusetts Democrats set out on Election Day to steal New Hampshire for Clinton.

Donald Trump repeated a conspiracy that buses of Massachusetts voters traveled in 2016 to illegally vote for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire

Donald Trump repeated a conspiracy that buses of Massachusetts voters traveled in 2016 to illegally vote for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire 

Trump's former campaign chief Corey Lewandowski, a firce defendent of the president, went against the him on this one, claiming in 2017 statements that's 'not what happens'

Trump's former campaign chief Corey Lewandowski, a firce defendent of the president, went against the him on this one, claiming in 2017 statements that's 'not what happens'

'I've actually, having worked before on a campaign in New Hampshire, I can tell you that this issue of busing voters in to New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who's worked in New Hampshire politics,' Trump's national security adviser Stephen Miller (pictured) puhsed back in 2017 statements. 'It's very real, it's very serious'

'I've actually, having worked before on a campaign in New Hampshire, I can tell you that this issue of busing voters in to New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who's worked in New Hampshire politics,' Trump's national security adviser Stephen Miller (pictured) puhsed back in 2017 statements. 'It's very real, it's very serious'

'I live on the border,' Lewandowski said in February 2017. 'I didn't see buses coming across the line to say that, hey, we've moved up from Massachusetts.'

This was significant, as Lewandowski is a fierce defender of the president. Later Thursday night he is joining Trump during his rally in Manchester – a move that has bolstered rumors that he is considering a Senate run in the state.

Within the same time period, however, Trump's administration contradicted this claim.

Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser for Trump, contradicted Miller's claims about voter fraud in New Hampshire, claiming the busing practice was 'widely known.'

'I've actually, having worked before on a campaign in New Hampshire, I can tell you that this issue of busing voters in to New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who's worked in New Hampshire politics,' Miller said at the time. 'It's very real, it's very serious.'

He also claimed he had evidence of the occurrence, but that presenting that on live television was not the right venue.

'Voter fraud is a serious problem in this country,' Miller continued in his ABC interview at the height of concerns over voter fraud affecting the 2016 elections. 'You have millions of people who are registered in two states, who are dead who are registered to vote, and you have 14 percent of non-citizens, according to academic research, at a minimum, are registered to vote. Which is an astonishing statistic.'

Lewandowski insisted that practice is 'not what happens,' but did admit that the election system could be vulnerable in other ways.

There have been rumors that Lewandowski is preparing to launch a bid for Senate in New Hampshire.

He will appear with the president Thursday, and Trump is encouraging the run.

'I think he would be fantastic. He's got great energy,' Trump told New Hampshire Today radio host Jack Heath Thursday morning. 'I like him, I like his family, I like everything about him.'

'I don't think he's made that decision yet,' the president continued. 'I will say this: If he ran, he would be a great senator. If he ran and won, he would be a great senator. He would be great for New Hampshire. He would be great for the country. He has got a tremendous drive, and that drive would be put to the people of New Hampshire's benefit, and the country's benefit.'

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