US President Donald Trump has declassified intelligence documents that he claims show Chinese interference in the 2020 US presidential election, reviving long-standing allegations about election security despite previous intelligence findings that found no evidence Beijing altered the outcome.
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In a 25-minute address from the White House, Trump said the declassified material showed China had unlawfully obtained information from approximately 220 million US voter files, including names, addresses and voter registration data. He also alleged that members of the US intelligence community had suppressed information about China’s activities.
The announcement comes ahead of November’s midterm elections, with Trump urging Congress to approve stricter voter identification and citizenship verification requirements. He argued that stronger election safeguards are necessary to protect future elections.
However, Trump’s claims contradict a 2021 assessment by the US intelligence community, conducted under then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, which concluded that no foreign government had altered any technical aspect of the 2020 election, including voter registration systems, ballots, vote tabulation or election results.
China swiftly rejected the allegations. Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Chang said Beijing had never interfered and would never interfere in US presidential elections.
Several of the declassified documents also appeared to conflict with Trump’s claims. One CIA assessment reportedly stated that election tabulation systems would be extremely difficult to manipulate on a scale capable of changing election results, while another suggested China had not intended to covertly influence the outcome of the 2020 vote.
Democratic lawmakers criticised Trump’s move, accusing him of using intelligence for political purposes. Senator Mark Warner said US intelligence agencies had unanimously concluded that China did not attempt to change a single vote in the 2020 election.
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The renewed debate comes as Republicans prepare to defend their congressional majorities in the upcoming midterm elections, with election security once again emerging as a key political issue in the United States.