U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, announcing plans to declassify intelligence that he says reveals major vulnerabilities in the American election system ahead of November’s midterm elections.
In a televised address from the White House on Thursday, Trump alleged that China carried out what he described as the largest compromise of U.S. election data in history, claiming Chinese authorities obtained information from 220 million U.S. voter files during the 2020 election cycle.
Trump also claimed that more than 250,000 non-U.S. citizens are registered to vote across four states, though he did not publicly provide evidence supporting the allegation during his address.
The president said the declassified intelligence would expose “shocking vulnerabilities” in the U.S. electoral system and argued that Americans “can never watch a stolen election again,” repeating his long-standing assertion that the 2020 election was rigged.
Trump also criticized major television networks, including ABC and NBC, after they declined to carry his address live, accusing some media organizations of participating in efforts to undermine election integrity and calling for their broadcast licences to be revoked.
Trump has consistently maintained that the 2020 election was stolen despite numerous court rulings, recounts, audits and investigations—including by his own Justice Department—that found no evidence of widespread fraud capable of changing the election outcome.
Democrats have accused the president of reviving election fraud claims to shape public opinion ahead of the midterm elections, where Republicans face a difficult battle to retain control of Congress.
Trump has also urged lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would tighten election rules through measures such as proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration, mandatory photo identification at polling stations and additional restrictions on mail-in voting.
The renewed focus on election security comes as Trump faces continued political scrutiny over the economy, foreign policy and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
