Stop the Steal is a slogan and organizing banner attached to the false claim that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump through mail-in ballot fraud and vote-counting irregularities in swing states1. Supporters printed it on signs, chanted it at rallies, tagged it on Twitter, and used it to name Facebook groups that pushed members toward petition drives and in-person protests2.

The movement was decentralized rather than centrally run, mixing a handful of high-profile Facebook groups, hashtag activity on Twitter, and rallies at state capitols while ballots were still being counted in the days after Election Day2. Election officials and fact-checkers pushed back on the fraud allegations, but the phrase stuck as shorthand for post-election grievance among Trump supporters and organizers who believed vote-counting delays in swing states were suspicious1.

Supporters typically use Stop the Steal as a rally slogan and hashtag, printing it on protest signs outside state capitols, posting it in Facebook groups and Twitter threads, and pairing it with claims about mail-in ballot fraud or vote-counting delays in specific swing states1.