Key Takeaways
- US President Donald Trump revived sweeping and unsupported claims of voter fraud during a White House address.
- He accused the People's Republic of China of illicitly acquiring 220 million US voter files over years.
- Trump urged lawmakers to adopt new restrictions on voting, despite little appetite for such measures.
United States President Donald Trump revived sweeping and unsupported claims of election fraud during a White House address, warning that the US electoral system is dangerously exposed. In his speech, he accused China of illicitly acquiring 220 million US voter files over years, portraying the country as a significant threat to American democracy.
Trump stated, '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.' This claim was part of his broader narrative that the US electoral system faces significant vulnerabilities and must adopt new restrictions on voting.
The president also claimed that more than 250,000 non-US citizens were registered to vote in four states. He criticized broadcasters ABC and NBC for not interrupting programming to carry his speech live, implying they were involved in election-rigging attempts. 'They and others in the media are part of a plot,' he said.
Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was ‘rigged’ has never been substantiated. More than 60 lawsuits produced no ruling establishing fraud capable of changing the outcome, while recounts, audits, and his own Justice Department found none. Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UCLA in California, called it 'the same old unsupported, and surprisingly weak, claims of American election vulnerabilities.'
The speech was criticized by Democrats as a dangerous attempt to resurrect disproven lies to undermine confidence ahead of the November midterms. Senate Democrat Dick Durbin said, 'This is a dangerous attempt to resurrect disproven lies to undermine future elections before a single vote is cast.'
Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb suggested that the speech was intended to build a case for declaring an election emergency. He told PBS, 'I think tonight’s speech is intended to add to the predicate that he needs to declare an emergency at or about the time of the elections.' Cobb also believed that immigration officers at polling places were a ‘virtual certainty’.
Trump has been pushing lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act ahead of the midterms. The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, which is already required under existing law in federal and state elections. However, the measure faces little appetite even within his own Republican Party.
Analysts said much of Trump’s address repackaged old or unsupported material. Rick Hasen noted, 'It was a tired speech with recycled and debunked claims.' He added that it did not change anything with how American elections will be run.
'We can never watch a stolen election again,' Trump said, referring to his 2020 defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.
Donald Trump, US President
'They and others in the media are part of a plot,' he said. 'Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.'
Donald Trump, US President
'I think tonight’s speech is intended to add to the predicate that he needs to declare an emergency at or about the time of the elections,' Cobb told PBS.
Ty Cobb, Former Trump White House lawyer
