Trump accuses China of acquiring 220 million US voter files

US President Donald Trump used a primetime White House address on Thursday (July 16) to renew allegations of vulnerabilities in the American electoral system, claiming he had declassified intelligence files that he said showed China sought to influence the 2020 presidential election.

Speaking less than three months before the US midterm elections, Trump argued that the newly released material revealed what he described as "shocking vulnerabilities" in US voting systems and alleged Beijing had obtained millions of American voter records, Caliber.Az reports per US media.

He claimed China had acquired 220 million voter files and that voter data in 18 states had been "bought, stolen or hacked by China."

Trump did not present evidence that the alleged acquisition of voter data altered voting systems or changed election results. His remarks also contradicted previous assessments by the US intelligence community, which concluded in 2021 that China did not interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

Responding to the speech, the Chinese Embassy in Washington rejected the allegations, telling Reuters that Beijing "has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections."

The address drew immediate criticism from Democrats, who accused Trump of undermining confidence in the electoral process ahead of the November vote.

"Let's be clear - in America, voters choose their leaders, not the other way around," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote on social media after the speech.

He added: "Democrats will fight like hell to make sure every American voter can cast their ballot freely, without obstruction or interference from Donald Trump."

During the address, Trump also alleged that US voting machines remain vulnerable to interference by foreign adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran. He further claimed a Michigan voter registration fraud investigation involving a Democratic-affiliated group had been hindered before legal deadlines expired, declaring: "It was pay, play and cheat."

The president also said the Department of Homeland Security had identified 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote, without stating whether any had cast ballots or affected election outcomes.

Trump concluded by again urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, mandate photo identification for voting and significantly restrict mail-in voting. The legislation remains stalled in the Senate.

By Aghakazim Guliyev