Trump alleges China interfered in 2020 U.S. election, cites 220 million voter files in primetime address

President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address on Thursday, revisiting his long-standing claims of election fraud and alleging Chinese interference in the 2020 U.S. election. The address, which took place at 9 p.m., was preceded by a White House press briefing led by Karoline Leavitt, who returned from maternity leave.
During his address, Trump alleged that China interfered in the 2020 election and that U.S. intelligence agencies covered it up. He claimed that China had acquired 220 million U.S. voter files, calling it the largest compromise of election data in history. "Raw intelligence obtained by the FBI in 2020, yet buried by rogue bureaucrats, stated that China's activities even included an attempt to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden," Trump said.
The White House released documents on its website that allegedly support these claims. Among the documents was an early 2020 report stating that it would be difficult to manipulate the outcome of an election on a wide enough scale to alter the result. Trump also asserted that members of the U.S. intelligence community deliberately suppressed information about the extent of China's activities.
Trump's claims contradict the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies, which concluded that China did not attempt to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. A March 2021 assessment by the National Intelligence Council stated with "high confidence" that Beijing did not attempt to influence the election outcome because Chinese officials viewed neither a Trump nor Biden win as sufficiently advantageous to justify the risks of being caught meddling.
The address comes as Trump has been pushing for new voter identification and citizenship requirements ahead of the November midterm elections. He has also dismantled federal election-security infrastructure, including cutting about 1,100 employees from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and ordering it to stop its election security programs.
During the press briefing earlier in the day, Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the address would focus on the legitimacy of the U.S. election system. "It’s going to be a very big announcement," Trump said during an Oval Office appearance on Tuesday. "Without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country."
The address has drawn concern from some Republicans, who are worried about the potential impact of Trump's statements on the upcoming midterm elections. Meanwhile, Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, warned of more "bloodshed" unless Democrats "shut their mouths" about immigration enforcement.
The Senate Judiciary Committee also convened for a second day of hearings on the nomination of Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted a summit on "far-left terrorism."
Trump's address and the accompanying documents are likely to renew scrutiny of his claims about foreign interference in U.S. elections and the government's past intelligence assessments. The documents released by the White House include information about voting vulnerabilities, China, Michigan, and "noncitizen voter rolls."
The president's claims about Chinese interference and election fraud have been met with skepticism from intelligence officials and critics, who argue that the claims are misleading and lack evidence. However, Trump has continued to push his narrative, using the address to advocate for new voter identification and citizenship requirements ahead of the midterm elections.
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