The so-called Big Lie—that the 2020 election was stolen out from under Donald Trump—was more than just a series of individual false facts and misleading videos. It was a narrative, carefully constructed by people affiliated with the Trump campaign, and disseminated through friendly news outlets and social media channels.

Four years later, that story still convinces millions of Trump’s supporters. And as NBC’s Ryan Reilly has reported, it’s one that many people on the former president’s team are already laying the groundwork to repeat this time.

Reilly joins The Kicker to discuss how those stories spread, and why many in the media are better prepared to combat them—while others, including some prominent social media platforms, are poised to make things worse.

Read more:

Ryan’s NBC News article on the 2020 effort to “stop the vote” in Detroit

Ryan’s book Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System

New York Magazine on the DC jail block run by convicted January 6 rioters

Politico on how Trump might try to claim victory no matter what

Hosted by Josh Hersh
Produced by Amanda Darrach

Episode website

How Trump’s team could craft ‘the narrative’ after the election: NBC’s Ryan Reilly on 2020, and the road ahead

The Kicker