US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that China carried out the "largest compromise of election data in history" during the 2020 US presidential election by illicitly obtaining information on 220 million American voters and reiterated his claims that the 2020 presidential election, that he lost to Joe Biden, was stolen from him.
In a 25-minute televised address from the White House, Trump warned that future US elections remain "vulnerable to being rigged and stolen" unless sweeping changes are made to the voting system, while announcing the immediate declassification of intelligence documents that he said expose "shocking vulnerabilities" in America's election infrastructure.
"Tonight, I'm announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure," Trump said.
Claiming that the declassified records expose long-hidden weaknesses in the election system, Trump alleged that China had accessed sensitive voter information on an unprecedented scale.
"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, resulting in China's illicit acquisition of 220 million US voter files," he said.
Trump accused China of compromising the US election system and alleged that members of the "deep state" had concealed the extent of the breach for years.
According to Trump, the purportedly compromised data included names, home addresses, phone numbers, political party affiliations and other information linked to voter registration.
"That information includes 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," he said.
Describing the alleged breach as "an unprecedented election security nightmare", Trump claimed the declassified material showed the US election system was vulnerable to hacking, exploitation and foreign interference.
"This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes... to hacking, exploitation and foreign interference. Just as disturbingly, this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you," he said.
The US president argued that the country's electoral system "falls catastrophically short" of ensuring free and fair elections.
"Every American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system... one where cheating and interference are not just difficult, but virtually impossible," Trump said.
He further alleged that members of the US intelligence community deliberately suppressed information about the full extent of China's activities.
Trump also cited what he described as an official intelligence assessment stating that US adversaries, including Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and non-state groups, have the capability to compromise American elections.
"That's some statement, isn't it? Made by supposedly great patriots of our country," he said, arguing that the assessment itself reflected serious vulnerabilities in the country's election infrastructure.
The president added that he had directed the Director of National Intelligence and the FBI to investigate his allegations against China.
Allegations that China collected US voter data are not new. A report by the National Intelligence Officer for Cyber, prepared in 2020 and partially declassified in 2022, said Chinese intelligence officials analysed voter registration data from multiple American states for "public opinion analysis."
However, more than 60 lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies following the 2020 election failed to establish fraud that could have altered the outcome. Multiple recounts, audits and reviews, including those conducted by Trump's own Justice Department, also found no evidence of widespread voter fraud sufficient to change the election result.
