'Not a slip': Critics explain Trump's admission that he lost 2020 'by a whisker'

During an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Donald Trump claimed that he really only lost the 2020 election "by a whisker." While he has made comments about losing the election a handful of times over the last four years, his recent admission is drawing increased attention.

In the interview, Trump repeated false claims that the 2020 election “was a fraud” but then confessed he lost the race.

"I was told if I got 63 million, which is what I got the first time, you would win. You can't not win. And I got millions of more votes than that and lost by a whisker," Trump said. He made the same comment to the Moms for Liberty group in Washington, D.C., on Friday night.

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Gen Z activist Harry Sisson, who boasts over 261,000 followers, caught that admission last week, noting that Trump "conned all of these MAGA lunatics into believing his lies just for him to admit it wasn't stolen. HA!"

In fact, the 2020 election saw a record turnout with 81,284,666 votes for Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Trump got over five million fewer votes. It is the equivalent of the entire state of South Carolina.

Trump critics raced to the social media site X to highlight the admission.

"The Progressive" writer Jud Lounsbury cited the interview, saying, "Trump always knew." He explained, "Like yelling 'fire' in a theater, if you believe that there is a fire, it's one thing, but if not, it's another."

New York Times reporter Peter Baker also caught the comment, saying, "After nearly four years of falsely claiming that he won the 2020 election, Trump admits he actually lost 'by a whisker.'"

Another influencer, John Collins, with over 218,000 followers, pointed out the quote saying Trump is "finally accepting reality."

"This Trump 'I lost by a whisker' comment on Lex Friedman wasn't a slip. He's said it three times in the past week. Seems like part of a pattern, like his abortion flip, of trying (erratically and unconvincingly) to walk away from his least popular positions," explained former Obama campaign alum Ravi Gupta.