Former President Donald Trump reportedly urged two local Michigan Republicans not to certify the Wayne County election results for the 2020 presidential election, as revealed in recently reviewed phone call recordings obtained by The Detroit News.

The recorded phone call took place on November 17, 2020, and included Trump, Wayne County Board of Canvassers members Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, as well as Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. According to The Detroit News, Trump expressed the need to "fight for our country" and not let "these people take our country away from us."

McDaniel also allegedly urged Palmer and Hartmann not to sign the certification, suggesting that they seek legal assistance if needed. The call participant who recorded the conversation remains unidentified. CBS News and other media outlets were aware of the call's occurrence but did not have access to its contents until The Detroit News obtained the recordings. However, the existence of the recordings has not been independently confirmed by CBS News.

The Trump campaign did not dispute the contents of the call. Spokesperson Steven Cheung justified Trump's actions as a duty to ensure election integrity and investigate alleged fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Cheung further emphasized the constitutional right of President Trump and Americans to free and fair elections.

Meanwhile, the RNC referred to McDaniel's comment, stating that she repeatedly emphasized the existence of sufficient evidence warranting an audit during that period.

Michigan held significant importance as a battleground state in the 2020 election, with Trump losing to President Biden. Detroit's Wayne County, a heavily Democratic area, played a crucial role in the state's outcome. Without the county's certification, Michigan's election results could not be officially certified. After a deadlock, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers eventually voted to certify the results in November 2020.

During this time, the Trump campaign filed a federal lawsuit in Michigan aiming to block the certification of the state's election results. However, they dropped the lawsuit shortly after erroneously claiming that the Wayne County Board of Canvassers had refused to certify.

No information is available regarding whether special counsel Jack Smith possesses a recording of the conversation involving Trump, McDaniel, and the two board members. Furthermore, the incident in question is not mentioned in President Trump's federal indictment related to the 2020 election.

Michigan is expected to be a crucial state once again in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, making the controversy surrounding the 2020 election certification relevant in the context of future electoral dynamics.