Donald Trump used a primetime address to accuse China of interfering in the 2020 election, a move critics say is less about foreign meddling and more about setting the stage to challenge the upcoming midterm results. In a 25-minute speech from the White House on Thursday, Trump cast doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections, calling them 'catastrophically' short of fairness and trust, while vulnerable to foreign trespassing. He announced the 'immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence' to expose 'shocking vulnerabilities' in election infrastructure.

Democrats were quick to push back. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) noted that the claims have been 'investigated for years and repeatedly rejected by the Intelligence Community, the FBI, DHS, DOJ, bipartisan state election officials, audits, recounts, and the courts.' He added, 'We should confront those threats with facts, not distort them for political purposes.' Trump's allegations contradict a 2021 intelligence assessment that found no foreign actor altered any technical aspect of the 2020 voting process.

Trump also used the speech to push the Save America Act, a strict voter ID bill stalled in Congress. 'How easy is that to do? Unless you want to cheat,' he quipped. The address barely touched on Iran, despite recent military strikes, but Trump claimed victory there was imminent. Several networks, including NBC, ABC, and CNN, declined to air the speech live on their main channels, citing partisan concerns - prompting Trump to call for their broadcast licenses to be revoked.

Kamala Harris, the former vice-president and 2024 Democratic nominee, preempted the speech by accusing Trump of planning 'to peddle lies and conspiracy theories.' She wrote, 'The 2020 election was not stolen; we won and he lost.' China, for its part, reiterated its 'principle of non-interference in others’ internal affairs.'