Donald Trump announced the declassification of intelligence reports alleging Chinese interference in US elections. He claims Beijing obtained 220 million US voter records, calling it a major threat to democracy.
US President Donald Trump has ordered a new investigation into alleged Chinese interference in US elections, announcing the declassification of intelligence documents that he says reveal major vulnerabilities in the country’s voting systems.
Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Trump claimed that China had carried out what he described as “the largest compromise of election data in history.” He alleged that Beijing obtained access to information from 220 million US voter files over a period beginning during the 2020 election cycle.
Trump said he had directed the director of National Intelligence and the FBI to investigate the allegations and determine the full extent of the reported data breach.Trump says election systems ‘exposed to manipulation and corruption’
The president argued that the case demonstrates that “the US electoral system is exposed to manipulation and corruption.” He added that federal authorities are in the process of notifying states whose election data may have been compromised.
Trump also renewed his call for stricter election security measures, urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would introduce voter photo ID requirements, require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and expand federal access to voter registration data.
During the address, Trump criticized television networks that chose not to broadcast the speech live, saying they should lose their licenses.
ABC and NBC chose not to air Trump’s speech live on their main broadcast channels, instead carrying it on streaming platforms. CNN made the address available online and on its subscription service. The decision limited the speech’s reach compared with traditional television broadcasts.
The White House has published documents related to the claims on its website. The allegations are expected to intensify debate over election security and foreign interference in the United States.
