Trump revives election interference claims in primetime address

US President Donald Trump, in a primetime address to the nation on Thursday, revived claims of voter fraud and interference that he has previously used to deny his loss in the 2020 election. The renewed allegations contradict previous audits and reviews, including an assessment by Trump's then-Attorney General William Barr, which found no evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

"America is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country can be great without fair and honest elections," Trump said during the address. He also stated he would declassify documents showing that China had illicitly acquired 220 million US voter files, including names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other data used for voter registration.

"Over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People's Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history," Trump said, adding that declassification would reveal "shocking vulnerabilities" in the country's election infrastructure.

The US leader argued that Americans deserve free and fair elections but claimed the current system "falls catastrophically short of that standard." He used the address to push for a strict voter ID bill requiring proof of citizenship to register and photo identification at polling places.

Trump has spent years casting doubt on the 2020 election outcome, in which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, advancing long-debunked theories. He did not question the legitimacy of his 2016 or 2024 election wins. Democrats warned that Trump was trying to revive false claims ahead of November's midterm elections, with Republicans fearing loss of Congress amid headwinds over the war in Iran.

Although Trump mentioned other countries including Russia, he focused primarily on China. The latest allegations risk straining ties with Beijing. In May, Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him a "great leader" and a "friend," and invited Xi to visit the White House in September.

Trump's last primetime address was in April on the Iran war, where he sought to reassure war-weary Americans of the offensive's worth. In December, he delivered a politically charged address blaming Democrats for the challenging economic climate.