WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump, in a primetime address on July 16, announced the declassification of information that he alleged reveal 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,” he said, claiming that 220 million American voter files were hacked.
Trump further claimed that members of the intelligence community sought to suppress data on China’s influence on American elections.
In addition, Trump detailed the findings of an investigation from the Department of Homeland Security that he said revealed 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.
The president outlined the declassification and release of multiple groups of documents, including assessments he claimed reveal “a cyber threat aimed at the very heart of our democracy”—vulnerabilities in election databases and other systems, including electronic voting machines.
Citing reporting from the CIA, the president outlined what he described as a multi-year influence campaign by China during his first term aimed at American companies and journalists.
The president said intelligence reports outlining Chinese influence operations aimed at the election were withheld from presidential briefings during his first term.
The president ended his speech with an appeal to Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, election integrity legislation that has passed the House but continues to flounder in the Senate.
The legislation would require photo identification at the polls as well as proof of citizenship for those registering to vote.
“No country could be great without fair and honest elections,” Trump said.
Trump delivered his speech less than four months ahead of what's expected to be a tough midterm battle 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 with a map outlining the Trump administration’s election integrity measures.
Speculation swirled ahead of the address, with Democrats voicing concerns that the president’s remarks could be the basis for actions that impact those upcoming races.
NBC and ABC said they won’t be airing Trump’s July 16 speech on television. Both made the speech available through online channels.
Ahead of the speech, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) wrote 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 swiftly disputed Trump’s claims.
Minutes before the speech, former Vice President Kamala Harris took to social media to defend the outcome of the race that elevated her to the vice presidency.
“The 2020 election was not stolen,” she wrote, suggesting the president was preparing to spread “conspiracy theories.”
