The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump used Truth Social on Aug. 21, 2025, to demand that Colorado release Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted in the 2021 election-equipment breach case. In the post, Trump called Peters a “brave and innocent Patriot,” said she had been “tortured” by Colorado politicians, and warned that if she was not released, he would “take harsh measures.” ([presidency.ucsb.edu](https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/truth-social-posts-august-21-2025))

Colorado said Peters was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2024, to 8.5 years in prison and six months in jail. The state’s release also said a jury had found her guilty on four felonies and three misdemeanors tied to her role in the breach of her own election equipment. ([sos.state.co.us](https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/newsRoom/pressReleases/2024/PR20241003Peters.html))

Trump’s post did not change Peters’ sentence or custody status. It did, however, put a local criminal case back into national circulation, with Peters cast as a political symbol and Colorado as the target of the pressure campaign. That is an inference from the post’s language, not a legal effect. ([presidency.ucsb.edu](https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/truth-social-posts-august-21-2025))

Peters has remained a prominent figure on the right because her case was tied to claims about election fraud in 2020. Trump’s latest demand kept that storyline alive, but it did not give him any unilateral power to undo a state court sentence. ([presidency.ucsb.edu](https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/truth-social-posts-august-21-2025))