In December 2025, media outlets published a recording of a phone call from late 2020 between then-President Donald Trump and the late David Ralston, who was Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives at the time. The call gives a rare look at the pressure political leaders faced in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Georgia Public Broadcasting+1
According to the recording, Trump urged Ralston to call a special legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly to address what Trump described as election irregularities. Trump suggested that such a session could be justified as a way “to uncover fraud” in the voting process — a claim that has been consistently debunked by state and independent investigations. The Current
Trump told Ralston that calling a special session could help overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia, where Trump lost by about 12,000 votes. In the conversation, Trump pressed on, asking, “Who’s gonna stop you for that?” Ralston responded with a laugh that “a federal judge, possibly” might be the one to stop it. 103.1 FM WEUP
The call lasted roughly 12 minutes. Trump also criticized other Georgia leaders, including Governor Brian Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, for opposing Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. Despite Trump’s persistence, the governor and legislative leaders at the time had already ruled out calling a special session before important runoff elections in early 2021. ajc
What makes the recording significant is that it shows Trump actively trying to use political influence to change the outcome of a certified election. Ralston — a longtime Republican leader who died in 2022 — listened to the president but never agreed to call the session. He acknowledged his personal support for Trump but stopped short of committing to any action that would challenge Georgia’s election results. The Georgia Sun
Ralston later testified before a Fulton County special grand jury about this and other interactions related to the election. Grand jurors have said that recordings of this call were part of the evidence they reviewed while investigating possible election interference. Georgia Public Broadcasting
Under Georgia law, a special legislative session can be called by the governor or by a three-fifths vote of the legislature. Ralston and other leaders understood that even if he wanted to comply with Trump’s request, legal and constitutional limits made it difficult. In the end, no special session was convened. The Current
For many people, this recording adds to a broader narrative about the 2020 election’s contested aftermath and highlights the pressures elected officials faced from multiple directions. Whether one views it through a political lens or a legal one, the exchange shows how the question of election legitimacy became a flashpoint in American democracy — and how state leaders like Ralston navigated competing pressures while attempting to uphold the law. 11Alive
At vmgreview.com, we aim to explain important civic issues in simple language that helps readers understand not just what happened, but why it matters. This newly released phone call is a part of the historical record that offers insight into how political power and constitutional boundaries interact in times of national stress.
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