Updated July 17, 2026, 8:58 a.m. MT
In a Thursday night address to the nation, President Donald Trump claimed China had meddled in U.S. elections.
During the July 16 primetime address, Trump alleged that newly declassified documents would reveal Chinese efforts to interfere in multiple U.S. elections, including the 2020 election, when he lost to President Joe Biden.
“Every American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system, and that is to make that system secure ‒ one where cheating and interference are not just difficult, but virtually impossible,” he said. “Unfortunately, the system we have today falls catastrophically short of that standard.”
Trump said declassified documents indicated that China tried to undermine the 2020 election by compromising U.S. voter data, with 220 million voter files stolen.
He also said China sought to influence U.S. business leaders and journalists.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to the accusations during a news conference on Friday, according to The Hill.
“The relevant allegations by the U.S. are entirely fabricated and aimed at vilifying China,” Lin said. “We have no interest in interfering in US elections and have never done so.”
Still, the president said that Congress must move quickly on the SAVE America Act, a robust voting bill that would require proof of citizenship upon registering to vote.
“To all Americans, I ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives in the House and Senate, and demand that they pass the Save America Act without delay,” Trump said. “Together, we will restore faith and confidence in our country, and we will be bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”
Trump speech fact check
According to USA TODAY, Trump’s allegations contradict prior intelligence assessments that China did not try to interfere with the 2020 election.
In March 2021, Avril Haines, director of national intelligence in the Biden administration, released a report that said the intelligence community had “high confidence” that China did not try to interfere with the 2020 U.S. election but considered ‒ though never deployed ‒ an attempt to change the outcome of the election, USA TODAY reported.
Reaction to Trump speech
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in the 2024 contest, preemptively said that he would “peddle lies and conspiracy theories” about the election Biden won six years ago.
“The 2020 election was not stolen,” she said in a post on X. “We won, and he lost.”
In a video message ahead of the address, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said the president’s remarks would be “full of grievances and blatant lies.”
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Rick Scott called the allegations “truly shocking” and pushed Congress to pass stricter election legislation.
Watch Trump speech last night
Watch the full speech below:
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
