Washington: US President Donald Trump has claimed that China gained unauthorized access to a massive amount of American voter information and announced plans to declassify intelligence that he says reveals serious weaknesses in the country's election infrastructure.
Speaking during a nationally televised address from the White House, Trump argued that the vulnerabilities exposed the US voting system to potential foreign interference. He also repeated his longstanding claim that the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden, was unfairly decided.
According to Trump, Chinese authorities carried out what he described as one of the largest breaches of election-related data ever recorded.
"Over several years beginning with the 2020 election cycle, the People's Republic of China is believed to have obtained approximately 220 million US voter records through an extensive compromise of election data," Trump said.
He warned that future elections, including congressional midterms, remain susceptible to manipulation unless major reforms are introduced to strengthen election security and tighten voting procedures.
Trump Calls Situation an "Election Security Crisis"
Trump accused members of what he referred to as the "deep state" of concealing the alleged data breach from the public.
Describing the incident as an unprecedented threat, he argued that the current election system does not provide sufficient safeguards to ensure every legitimate vote is accurately counted.
During his speech, Trump announced that his administration would immediately declassify intelligence documents that he said expose significant vulnerabilities within America's election infrastructure.
He maintained that the evidence demonstrates the voting system is far more vulnerable to cyberattacks than previously believed and insisted stronger protections are urgently needed.
Previous Claims and Investigations
Concerns about Chinese access to US voter information have surfaced before. A report prepared by the National Intelligence Officer for Cyber in 2020, portions of which were declassified in 2022, stated that Chinese intelligence officials had reviewed voter registration databases from several US states to conduct public opinion analysis.
However, multiple investigations into the 2020 presidential election reached different conclusions. More than 60 lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies failed to produce court rulings showing election fraud that could have changed the outcome. Election recounts, independent audits, and reviews conducted by Trump's own Justice Department also did not find evidence of widespread fraud capable of altering the election result.
Push for the SAVE Act
Trump concluded his address by urging lawmakers to approve the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
The proposed legislation would require individuals registering to vote to provide documentary proof of US citizenship. Voting rights organizations have argued that such a requirement could make it significantly harder for millions of eligible Americans to register and participate in elections.
Federal law already prohibits non-US citizens from voting in federal elections, and documented cases of noncitizen voting remain extremely uncommon.
Trump Criticizes Television Networks
The president also criticized major television broadcasters that chose not to air his speech live.
Trump suggested that broadcasters refusing to carry his address should risk losing their licenses, alleging that some media organizations are contributing to efforts to undermine election integrity. He specifically mentioned ABC and NBC while claiming they benefit from public airwaves without paying for them.
China Rejects the Allegations
China dismissed Trump's accusations of election interference.
Responding to the claims, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Chang said Beijing has consistently followed a policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries.
"The US presidential election is an internal matter for the United States, and its outcome is decided by the American people. China has never interfered and will never interfere in US presidential elections," Liu said.