President Unveils Declassified Intelligence Alleging Massive Chinese Hack of U.S. Voter Data, Election Security Vulnerabilities, and Foreign Influence Operations While Renewing Push for Election Integrity Legislation
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, in a primetime address on July 16, announced the declassification of information that he alleged reveals large-scale Chinese hacking of American voter information.
“Over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history,” Trump said, claiming that 220 million American voter files were hacked.
Trump further alleged that members of the intelligence community sought to suppress information regarding China’s influence on American elections.
The president also detailed findings from a Department of Homeland Security investigation that he said identified 278,000 noncitizens registered on American voter rolls.
“These disclosures reveal an election system so broken and so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it. It is not defensible,” Trump said.
Trump announced the declassification and release of multiple sets of documents, including intelligence assessments that he claimed expose “a cyber threat aimed at the very heart of our democracy”—highlighting vulnerabilities in election databases and other election systems, including electronic voting machines.
Citing CIA reporting, Trump described what he characterized as a multi-year Chinese influence campaign conducted during his first term, targeting American companies and journalists.
The president also claimed that intelligence reports detailing Chinese influence operations related to the election were withheld from his presidential briefings during his first term.
Trump concluded his address by urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, election integrity legislation that has already passed the House of Representatives but remains stalled in the Senate.
The proposed legislation would require voters to present photo identification at polling locations and provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
“No country could be great without fair and honest elections,” Trump said.
Trump delivered the address less than four months before what is expected to be a highly competitive midterm election for Republicans.
Earlier in the evening, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced that the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security were launching a website featuring a map outlining the Trump administration’s election integrity measures.
Ahead of the address, speculation intensified as Democrats expressed concerns that Trump’s remarks could serve as the basis for actions affecting the upcoming midterm races.
NBC and ABC announced that they would not broadcast Trump’s July 16 address on television, although both networks made the speech available through their online platforms.
Before the speech, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said on social media that he had been briefed on its contents.
“This may be the most important Oval Office address since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The time for complacency with China is over,” Moreno wrote.
Democrats quickly challenged Trump’s allegations.
Minutes before the address, former Vice President Kamala Harris posted on social media defending the outcome of the 2020 election that elevated her to the vice presidency.
“The 2020 election was not stolen,” Harris wrote, suggesting that the president was preparing to promote “conspiracy theories.”
