Trump Claims China Illegally Obtained Data on 220 Million US Voters in Primetime Speech

Former US President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address from the White House overnight, reviving his allegations about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election. In a roughly 25-minute speech, Trump claimed that China illegally acquired data from approximately 220 million American voter registration files. He announced the declassification of documents he said reveal foreign interference and "shocking vulnerabilities" in the US election system.

The speech came less than four months before the November midterm elections, where Republicans aim to maintain their congressional majority. Some Republican leaders urged Trump to focus on issues like inflation and the conflict with Iran instead of revisiting his 2020 loss. Democrats accused Trump of laying groundwork to challenge midterm results if Republicans lose.

Trump emphasized the need for free and fair elections, asserting the current system is "catastrophically" flawed. He accused US intelligence officials of hiding the extent of Chinese activities and criticized the "deep state." Concurrently, the White House launched a website publishing the declassified documents. However, these claims contradict a 2021 US intelligence community assessment, which found no evidence that China or any foreign actor altered technical aspects of the 2020 election, including voter rolls or vote counts. Some released documents even undermine Trump’s assertions, with one concerning Venezuelan elections and another noting the difficulty of large-scale vote manipulation.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington denied the accusations, stating Beijing has never and will never interfere in US elections. Trump continued to question the 2020 election results despite multiple court rulings, recounts, and official audits finding no widespread fraud. He called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, requiring photo ID for voting and citizenship proof at registration, a bill currently stalled in the Senate. Critics argue these measures could disenfranchise eligible voters.

Trump also criticized California’s vote counting process as worse than any developing country, citing delays in official results due to mail-in ballots. Major US networks largely avoided live broadcast of the speech, with Fox News airing it fully and others opting for digital platforms or fact-check coverage. Trump accused media outlets of being part of a conspiracy. The speech briefly touched on the escalating US military campaign against Iran, with Trump claiming a major victory but providing no details on future plans.