President Donald Trump on Thursday shared the declassification of what he described as intelligence showing China tried to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election, alleging the Chinese government obtained sensitive U.S. voter data and that intelligence officials concealed the information from him and Congress.
Speaking from the White House during a 25-minute-long nationally televised primetime address, Trump said the documents show China carried out “the largest compromise of election data in history,” claiming Beijing illicitly acquired information tied to roughly 220 million U.S. voter files. He also alleged U.S. intelligence agencies discovered in 2020 that voter registration data from 18 states had been “bought, stolen, or hacked by China,” but withheld that information from him, Congress and the public.
Trump also took aim at ABC and NBC for declining to carry the speech live on their broadcast networks, accusing the outlets of suppressing his election claims and suggesting their broadcast licenses should be revoked.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s policy was to leverage all domestic and foreign elements that were opposed to the U.S. president in an effort to reduce the U.S. president’s votes and make him resign or prevent his reelection,” Trump said, citing what he described as newly declassified CIA reporting. He alleged the documents show China sought to influence both the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election in an effort to undermine his administration.
Trump further claimed newly released FBI intelligence showed China attempted to manufacture illegal ballots in favor of Joe Biden and alleged intelligence officials deliberately kept related information out of his presidential daily briefings. He said he has directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Justice Department, FBI and CIA to investigate why the intelligence was allegedly withheld, calling for those involved to be fired and, “if appropriate,” criminally charged.
The president said the records would be released through the White House website and that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will hold a briefing Friday on what he described as cyber vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems. Trump also urged Congress to pass the Republican-backed SAVE Act, arguing it would strengthen election security by requiring proof of citizenship and photo identification for voters.
The allegations marked Trump’s latest effort to revive his claims surrounding the 2020 election while pairing assertions of foreign interference with renewed calls for federal election security legislation. As of Thursday evening, the newly released documents had not been independently verified, and the intelligence agencies President Trump cited had not publicly commented on his characterization of their contents.