I’ve read a couple of reports suggesting, based on anonymous administration officials, of course, that Trump advanced the election fraud claims as, in part at least, a sort of payback for years of accusations involving collusion with Russia in the 2016 election.
I can understand revenge where Trump is concerned. Easily. (But, might as well point out that in calling on the Russians to find and release Hillary emails, which they then did the same day, and in Trump Jr. being willing to meet with and listen to alleged “dirt” on Hillary, their campaign did engage in collusion. Just no proof of active conspiracy between Russia and Trump).
But, in this interpretation, it is, in part, payback for those who considered his own election to be tainted.
However, with Trump, look to the ego for real understanding. Recall, even in winning in 2016, he was unable to live with losing the popular vote. He had to, and he did, claim that Hillary could only have won the popular vote because 3 million illegal aliens voted for Hillary. He could not allow himself to be seen as a loser of the popular vote.
This latest claim of fraud in 2020 is also because he cannot allow himself to be seen as a loser. That has to be one major reason behind his claims, and, as we’ve seen, the most fruitcake conspiracy theories are advanced, in a truly desperate attempt to steal the election, and avoid being a loser. Literally. He’ll always be a winner in his alternative reality.
That said, I believe another goal is to convince his followers that he did win the 2020 election, and, by so doing, help cripple a Biden administration from the get go. This is putting self above country. And that too is to be expected from Trump. He will always put himself before his nation. And this has indeed worked with his followers, and Republicans in general. Which is damaging to our democracy. So many times he accused others of being the “enemies of the people”. But it is Trump who was America’s biggest enemy, and he still is...