A newly released phone call reveals former Georgia House Speaker David Ralston telling President Donald Trump he wanted to help keep Trump in office after the 2020 election, even though the vote in Georgia had already been certified and upheld.
What’s Happening: The New York Times published a 12-minute phone call from December 7, 2020, between Trump and Ralston during Trump’s push to undo his Georgia loss.
- Trump urged Ralston to call a special session of lawmakers to change the election result.
- Ralston said he was looking for a way to do that, despite legal limits and strong resistance from the governor.
What’s Important: The conversation shows Georgia’s House speaker considering ways to overturn a certified election, echoing false claims of fraud that state officials had already rejected.
What Did Ralston Say?: Here is the transcript of Ralston’s quote. “I don’t know why… we’re looking at it, I mean Mr. President, I have not signed up with the governor or the lieutenant governor on their public statements which have blown off the idea of there being any kind of recourse, whether it’s special session or no. I march to my own drummer and my own drummer says I want Donald Trump to remain the president. If there’s any way that we can possibly help in that regard, I’m on board.”
The Timeline: The call happened a month after the election and more than a year before Ralston’s death in 2022. The recording became public in December 2025 after being obtained from records in the recently closed Fulton County election case.
Catch Up Quick: Georgia officials repeatedly said the 2020 election was secure and accurate.
- State investigators later found claims about hidden ballots at State Farm Arena were false and unsubstantiated.
- Gov. Brian Kemp said a special session to replace Georgia’s presidential electors was not allowed under the law.
The Big Picture: Although Ralston never called a special session, (and legally couldn’t — only the governor can call a special session) the call shows him openly siding with Trump’s effort to stay in power.
Soon after, Ralston pushed for a constitutional change that would have taken the power to choose the secretary of state away from voters, following Trump’s anger at officials who refused to back his fraud claims.
