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Trump’s China election claims
President Donald Trump revived claims that China interfered in the 2020 U.S. election during a primetime address from the White House, accusing Beijing of what he called the "largest compromise of election data in history" and alleging a cover-up by the "deep state."
“Trump says documents show voting vulnerabilities, China meddling and fraud Trump makes a pitch for the SAVE America Act, which is stalled in Congress”
Trump said the People’s Republic of China carried out what he described as the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China’s "illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files," and he also claimed "Americans were blatantly lied to about the security of our election infrastructure."
The Associated Press review described the newly declassified material as not confirming Trump’s claims, saying "There's no evidence that China or any other foreign entity manipulated the vote in 2020 or any other year."
China rejected the allegations, with China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian saying the relevant allegations are "entirely fabricated" and that China has never interfered in U.S. elections and has no interest in doing so.
In the same reporting, Trump also touted a Department of Homeland Security investigation that he said identified approximately 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections, while the BBC reported that the U.S. intelligence community previously concluded China did not interfere in 2020.
DHS threats and expert pushback
Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, doubled down on Trump’s unsubstantiated election claims on Friday and said DHS identified "250,000 noncitizens registered to vote in California, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada" as part of the administration’s efforts.
Election experts including David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said the administration has not been "transparent about the methodology" in reaching that number, and Becker also said the figure is only 0.04% of the 68 million eligible voters in those states.
Mullin also repeated Trump’s conspiracy theories about voting machines being unsafe and insecure, despite election officials and cybersecurity experts underscoring that the machines are not connected to the internet and undergo scrupulous testing.
Mullin threatened withholding Federal Emergency Management Agency grant funding to states that don’t work to "secure" elections, saying "If they’re not willing to do it, it should raise serious questions."
In Beijing, Lin Jian urged Washington to stop making what he described as "groundless accusations" after Trump accused China of interfering in the 2020 election.
Political fallout and stakes
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) rejected Trump’s claims that China meddled in the 2020 presidential election, calling the allegations "so completely false" and accusing Trump of trying to undermine confidence in future elections.
“Trump alleges China meddled in 2020 election and questions voting security ahead of midterms US President Donald Trump has delivered a primetime address in which he accused China of interfering in the 2020 election and alleged "shocking vulnerabilities" in American voting systems”
Warner questioned why intelligence officers failed to uncover solid evidence sooner if the alleged scheme had occurred, asking, "Why didn’t they find any of these so-called allegations?"
The BBC reported that Democrats accused Trump of attempting to sow doubts about the security of the upcoming November midterms, with top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posting, "Democrats will fight like hell to make sure every American voter can cast their ballot freely, without obstruction or interference from Donald Trump."
Trump’s address also included allegations that U.S. voting machines are "extremely exposed" to interference by foreign adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran, while the BBC said shortcomings of U.S. election infrastructure have been well-documented.
In the same BBC reporting, Trump called for the passing of the SAVE America Act, and the BBC said the legislation has been stalled in the Senate for months, while also noting Trump did not say whether any of the 278,000 non-citizens identified had voted or had an impact on any election outcome.
