Trump alleges China acquired 220M US voter files
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has accused China of breaching American election data. In a prime-time televised address from the White House, he claimed that the People's Republic of China carried out what is believed to be "the largest compromise of election data in history." According to Trump, this breach led to China's illegal acquisition of 220 million US voter files. He alleged that members of the deep state worked to cover up China's data fraud.
Declassification announcement
Declassifying intelligence on US election system
Trump announced his decision to declassify intelligence revealing "shocking vulnerabilities" in the US election system.
He said, "Tonight, I'm announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure."
The president argued that America's current election system falls short of ensuring accurate and fair voting. He called for radical changes to make it more secure against "cheating and interference."
Voter eligibility
Trump pushes for passage of SAVE Act
In his speech, Trump also pushed for the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act). The bill would require documentary proof of US citizenship for voter registration.
Voting rights groups have warned that this could disenfranchise millions of Americans.
Noncitizen voting is illegal under federal law and already rare.
Media criticism
Trump's tirade against media
Trump also accused networks like ABC and NBC of being part of a plot to rig elections by refusing to air his prime-time speech on election fraud.
He suggested that their broadcast licenses should be revoked for not airing his address.
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back against speculation about the speech's contents, saying final remarks had not yet been decided.
Allegation scrutiny
Concerns over potential impact on electoral process
Critics have questioned the timing and credibility of Trump's allegations, arguing they could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Democratic lawmakers have warned that these claims may be used to challenge future election outcomes if Republicans face setbacks in upcoming midterms.
Reports say an election-focused task force led by Trump allies has been compiling information on past voting machine vulnerabilities and possible foreign influence operations.