Politics in America is messy, and honestly, the 2020 election was the messiest of them all. You’ve probably heard a dozen different numbers thrown around depending on who you’re talking to. But if we look at the certified, cold-hard data from the Federal Election Commission, the answer to how many votes for Trump in 2020 is actually a record-breaking figure.
74,223,975.
That’s the number. Seventy-four million, two hundred twenty-three thousand, nine hundred seventy-five people filled in the bubble for Donald Trump. It’s a massive number. In fact, it was the most votes any sitting president had ever received in U.S. history.
Of course, it wasn't enough to win the White House because Joe Biden brought in over 81 million. But it’s still wild to think about. You’re looking at a turnout that basically blew the doors off every previous election cycle. People weren't just voting; they were flooding the polls.
The Raw Data Behind How Many Votes for Trump in 2020
Let’s get into the weeds for a second because the popular vote is only half the story in our system. While Trump netted roughly 46.8% of the national popular vote, the Electoral College is where the actual decision happened. He ended up with 232 electoral votes.
If you compare this to 2016, the growth is actually pretty startling. In 2016, Trump won the presidency with about 63 million votes. Fast forward four years, and he added 11 million more supporters to his tally. Usually, when a candidate adds 11 million votes to their previous win, they’re cruising to a second term. 2020 was just... different.
The surge in turnout was national. It wasn't just in the "MAGA" heartland. He picked up significant steam in places people didn't expect.
Where those votes actually came from
Trump's 2020 performance wasn't a monolith.
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Take Florida. Most pundits thought it would be a nail-biter. Instead, Trump grew his lead there significantly, winning the state by over 370,000 votes. He saw a massive shift in places like Miami-Dade County, particularly with Hispanic voters who moved toward the Republican ticket in ways that shocked pollsters.
On the flip side, the "Blue Wall" states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin—were the real heartbreakers for the Trump campaign. Even though he increased his raw vote totals in these states compared to 2016, Biden simply increased his more. In Wisconsin, the margin was a razor-thin 20,682 votes. In Georgia, it was even tighter, around 11,779.
Think about that. If a few thousand people in three states had changed their minds, the 74 million votes would have been enough for a second term despite trailing in the national total by millions.
Why 74 Million Matters More Than You Think
A lot of people focus on the loss and ignore the sheer scale of the 74,223,975. To put that in perspective, that’s more votes than Barack Obama got in 2008 or 2012. It’s more than Hillary Clinton got in 2016.
It tells us that the "Trump base" isn't just a small, vocal group. It’s a massive segment of the American population that became more energized after four years of his presidency, not less.
There's this idea that incumbents lose because their supporters get tired. That didn't happen here. The supporters showed up in droves. The 2020 results showed a deeply polarized country where both sides were operating at 100% capacity.
The "Silent" Surge
One of the most interesting things about how many votes for Trump in 2020 is the demographic shift. According to exit polls and post-election analysis by groups like Pew Research, Trump actually improved his standing with almost every demographic except white men.
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He gained ground with Black men, Hispanic voters, and even some urban voters. It's a nuance that gets lost when people just look at the final map. The Republican party under Trump in 2020 became more diverse than it had been in decades, even as it lost the executive branch.
Breaking Down the Certified State Totals
If you’re a data nerd, looking at the state-by-state certified totals is the only way to really see the picture.
In Texas, Trump secured 5,890,347 votes. That was a huge win, but Biden’s 5.2 million made it the closest Texas had been in a generation. In California, despite being a deep blue state, Trump still pulled in over 6 million votes. That’s more than the entire population of many European countries.
It’s easy to look at a red and blue map and think everyone in a blue state thinks one way. They don't. Millions of Trump voters live in California and New York, just like millions of Biden voters live in Texas and Florida.
- Biggest Raw Vote Count: Texas (5.8M)
- Highest Percentage Win: Wyoming (nearly 70%)
- Narrowest Loss: Georgia (0.23% margin)
Misconceptions About the 2020 Count
We have to talk about the "stolen election" claims because they’re baked into the conversation about these numbers. After the 74 million votes were counted, there were dozens of lawsuits and audits.
In Arizona, a long, drawn-out "forensic audit" by a group called Cyber Ninjas actually ended up confirming the count and even found a few extra votes for Biden. In Georgia, they did a full hand recount. The numbers moved slightly—recounts always move a few hundred votes here and there due to human error—but the outcome stayed the same.
The 74,223,975 number is the final, certified, and audited reality of the 2020 Republican performance. It’s a number that represents a massive movement, but also a clear second-place finish in a year of unprecedented participation.
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The Turnout Factor
Total voter turnout in 2020 was about 66.7%. You have to go back to 1900 to find a higher percentage. Basically, everyone who could vote, did. This is why Trump could gain 11 million votes and still lose. The "pond" of voters got so much bigger that his increased share was swallowed up by an even larger increase on the other side.
Moving Beyond the Numbers
So, what do you do with this info? If you're looking at the future of American elections, that 74 million is the benchmark.
First, realize that "popular vote" doesn't mean "winner." If you're analyzing an upcoming election, focus on the margins in the Sun Belt (Arizona, Georgia, Nevada) and the Rust Belt (Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin). Those are the places where 10,000 votes matter more than 1,000,000 votes in California.
Second, watch the demographic shifts. If the trend of minority voters moving toward the GOP continues—as seen in that 2020 surge—the electoral map might look very different in the coming years.
Third, verify your sources. Always look for "certified results" from the Secretary of State websites or the FEC. Media projections are just that—projections—until the states sign the paperwork.
The 2020 election wasn't just a moment in time; it was a massive stress test for the country. Whether you're happy with the result or not, the sheer volume of people who participated—including those 74 million for Trump—changed the trajectory of American politics forever.
To dig deeper into how these patterns might repeat, you can look up the specific "Voter Turnout by Demographic" reports from the U.S. Census Bureau, which give a much clearer picture of who exactly was behind those 74 million ballots.