US President Donald Trump has claimed China played a role in rigging the 2020 presidential election against him, announcing during a primetime address on Thursday, July 16, that he is immediately declassifying and releasing 'critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure.'
Allegations of Chinese Interference and Cover-Up
Trump stated, 'This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes like levels never thought possible to hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference.' He further alleged that 'this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you.' The White House had confirmed on X prior to the address that the speech would contain 'breaking news,' and Trump himself described it as 'really big news' about election security.
Trump claimed that China illicitly gained access to large troves of information on US voters, including 'names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities.' However, voter information is generally accessible public record in most states.
Previous Election Claims and Intelligence Findings
For years, Trump has claimed his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden was a result of voter fraud. Biden won the election with 306 electoral votes and 51.3% of the national popular vote, while Trump secured 232 electoral votes and 46.8% of the popular vote. The US intelligence community produced a report before Trump's first term ended in January 2021 that concluded there was no foreign interference in the 2020 election. The report stated, 'We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 US elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results.' It also assessed that 'it would be difficult for a foreign actor to manipulate election processes at scale without detection.' The report was made public by the Biden administration in March 2021.
Impact and Reactions
Trump told reporters on Tuesday, 'It doesn't get bigger, because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country.' The announcement has reignited debates over election security and foreign interference, though no evidence has been presented to support Trump's claims.
