Democrats criticize Trump's claims of election interference
Donald Trump in his televised address accused China of meddling in the 2020 election and called for the Save America Act. Democrats and China rejected the allegations.
US President Donald Trump delivered a primetime televised address on Thursday, making unverified claims about Chinese interference in the 2020 presidential election. Trump alleged that China had illicitly acquired voter information on 220 million Americans and taken other steps to undermine his campaign. He reiterated calls for the passage of the Save America Act, which includes strict voter ID requirements and greater federal oversight of voter rolls.
Several major networks, including CNN, ABC, and NBC, declined to air the address live, citing concerns over its partisan nature. Trump responded by calling for revocation of their broadcast licenses. CBS, Fox News, and MS Now aired large portions of the speech.
Democrats swiftly condemned Trump's remarks. Senator Bernie Sanders urged resistance against a president who, he said, is undermining the Constitution. Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the Save Act voter suppression. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated the act would go nowhere in the Senate.
China's foreign ministry also rejected the accusations. Spokesperson Lin Jian called them "pure fabrication" and a "malicious smear campaign," adding that Beijing has no interest in interfering in US elections. US intelligence agencies had already concluded in 2021 that China did not deploy interference efforts to alter the election outcome.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner labeled Trump's speech as lies and long-debunked conspiracies. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona noted that Trump is raising these issues to distract from his failures.
