WASHINGTON, United States: US President Donald Trump declassified intelligence on July 16 to support a voter files claim that Beijing obtained 220 million voter records, although documents showed no altered 2020 votes, Reuters reported.
Trump delivered the 25-minute address from the White House in Washington, D.C., the North American country’s capital. It began at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday (6 a.m. PKT Friday).
He said the records contained names, addresses and registration information. Trump accused US intelligence officials of suppressing material about China.
The released files did not establish changes to voter registrations, ballots, vote counts or reported results. A 2021 US intelligence assessment found no indication of attempted technical changes to the election. It also said China did not deploy interference efforts.
“Hundreds of millions of US voter files are in the hands of foreign governments.
China and other countries have been trying to meddle in our elections.”
– Trump pic.twitter.com/zIvrYd3wxt
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) July 17, 2026One released Central Intelligence Agency document concerned Venezuela rather than the US election infrastructure. Another assessed that manipulating tabulation systems widely enough to compromise results would be difficult.
A third described Chinese efforts to target Democrat Joe Biden’s campaign. It said Beijing did not then intend to covertly sway the result.
Read: Trump to Deliver Election Security Speech at 9 pm EDT
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Chang denied interference before the address. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Trump’s claims “bogus.” He cited the intelligence community’s finding that China did not try to change a vote.
Trump made the claim as Republicans prepare to defend their congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections. He has urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act. The bill would require photo identification to vote and proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
Courts and recounts found no evidence of large-scale fraud in the 2020 election, which Biden won. Trump continues to dispute that result.
