{"id":5280,"date":"2026-07-17T08:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/17\/trump-makes-unverified-claims-of-china-election-meddling-as-critics-fear-ploy-to-challenge-midterm-results\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T08:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:10:08","slug":"trump-makes-unverified-claims-of-china-election-meddling-as-critics-fear-ploy-to-challenge-midterm-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=5280","title":{"rendered":"Trump makes unverified claims of China \u2018election meddling\u2019 as critics fear ploy to challenge midterm results"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"2141fab1-eb89-42cc-86d3-f32e19938cba\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Trump in front of yellow curtain, speaking.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0ac1de21f05f41b13224e1f58b48664934a0d423\/790_0_6197_4959\/master\/6197.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.1050508310473\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Donald Trump speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC on Thursday.<\/span> Photograph: Saul Loeb\/CNP Pool\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"2141fab1-eb89-42cc-86d3-f32e19938cba\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Donald Trump speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC on Thursday.<\/span> Photograph: Saul Loeb\/CNP Pool\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Trump makes unverified claims of China \u2018election meddling\u2019 as critics fear ploy to challenge midterm results<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Opponents warn president\u2019s address about 2020 election loss is attempt to sow confusion ahead of midterms that could deliver big losses for Republicans<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a> accused China of interfering with the 2020 election in a primetime televised address that laid bare his continuing obsession with his defeat to Joe Biden, but which opponents warned was a smokescreen for him to meddle in the forthcoming congressional midterms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In a 25-minute speech on Thursday that had been hyped by Trump himself, the US president cast extraordinary doubts on the integrity of the US electoral process, saying it was \u201ccatastrophically\u201d short of standards of fairness and trust, while vulnerable to trespassing by foreign powers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cNo country can be great without fair and honest elections,\u201d Trump said at the White House in an address that began with a familiar rehashing of his favorite campaign boasts, including claims of an unprecedentedly booming economy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"1ec2f298-2d53-4ba4-8260-c3e22f3989b1\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/16\/trump-address-us-elections\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">How Trump\u2019s address bluntly aimed at destabilizing the US electoral system<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cIf there can be no trust, there can be no greatness. Unfortunately, the system we have falls catastrophically short of that standard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Democrats warned that Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/16\/trump-address-us-elections\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">was trying to sow confusion<\/a>, spread misinformation and lay the groundwork to challenge the results of the midterm elections, which polls suggest could deliver significant losses for the president\u2019s party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Mark Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia and vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, said he spent years working to strengthen the country\u2019s defenses against foreign meddling in US elections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cTonight, Americans heard the president once again repeat claims about our elections that 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,\u201d Warner said. \u201cThe facts have not changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He added: \u201cChina is a serious strategic competitor, and it absolutely seeks to advance its interests at America\u2019s expense. So do Russia and Iran. We should confront those threats with facts, not distort them for political purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">As a prelude to his claims of interference by China, Trump on Thursday said he was announcing the \u201cimmediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"4db5dd5d-6e5a-48cd-8170-2f589dc88cc7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Trump addressing the nation as senior members of his administration look on\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/e16b8f3487b31f8eed341238734a301eb40b4e85\/0_0_4000_2666\/master\/4000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.5925\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"4db5dd5d-6e5a-48cd-8170-2f589dc88cc7\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Trump addressing the nation as senior members of his administration look on.<\/span> Photograph: Saul Loeb\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He asserted that evidence showed the electoral system was \u201cdangerously expose[d] \u2026 to hacking, exploitation and interference\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump\u2019s allegations have long been at odds with the views of officials who served in his first presidency. An assessment carried out by the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, then Trump\u2019s director of national intelligence, concluded that the 2020 election was the most secure in the US\u2019s history. However, Trump took issue with those findings, accusing intelligence agencies \u2013 whom he tarred as \u201cthe deep state\u201d \u2013 of a years-long cover-up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThose responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information secret and hidden,\u201d he said. \u201cThey did not disclose to me as president or to anyone else and, to the best of our knowledge, they did not inform Congress. In fact, all they kept saying is: \u2018This is the most secure election in the history of our country.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump said he was directing the office of national intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the CIA to \u201cinvestigate how and why such crucial information was hidden, to fire those involved in the coverup and to file criminal charges, if appropriate, against those people\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump recently installed a key ally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/19\/bill-pulte-acting-director-national-intelligence\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Bill Pulte<\/a>, as acting director of national intelligence, despite the fact that he has no previous intelligence experience. Pulte, who used his previous position in charge of the federal housing finance agency to dig for evidence for retribution against Trump\u2019s adversaries, is believed to have provided intelligence documents meant to validate the president\u2019s claims of interference in the 2020 poll.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"0d35bbd3-b0d8-463d-b06d-7158d8ff509b\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bill Pulte\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/919f256bce03bc24b8e7977f92866df3819ac822\/0_0_4000_2667\/master\/4000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.70374999999996\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"0d35bbd3-b0d8-463d-b06d-7158d8ff509b\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Bill Pulte, acting director of national intelligence.<\/span> Photograph: Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He spearheaded a drive to release previously classified documents along with John Solomon, a rightwing former journalist who has been active in spreading election conspiracy theories and was hired as a White House special adviser last month. Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Thursday night, Solomon acknowledged that the documents released contained no evidence that foreign actors flipped a single vote in the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In Thursday\u2019s speech, Trump repeated calls for the passage of the Save America Act, legislation requiring strict voter ID, which is currently stuck in Congress. \u201cAddressing this crisis of election security demands that Congress must pass the Save America Act,\u201d he said. \u201cHow easy is that to do? Unless you want to cheat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The speech barely touched on the subject of Iran, despite coming just days after Trump jettisoned last month\u2019s vaunted ceasefire deal and resumed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jul\/16\/us-attacks-oil-tanker-strait-of-hormuz-iran-tehran-strikes\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">ordering military strikes<\/a> in an effort to loosen Tehran\u2019s grip on the strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed to commercial shipping since the start of the war on 28 February, causing global energy costs to soar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWe are \u2026 winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly,\u201d he said in a reprise of previous claims that victory in the conflict was at hand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Despite holding regular media briefings, Trump has delivered relatively few set-piece addresses from the White House \u2013 frequently used by past presidents to convey messages deemed of paramount national importance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The setting involves reading a set text from a teleprompter for a limited period, constraints at odds with Trump\u2019s speaking style, which often deviates from a written script and meanders at length. On Thursday, the White House said Trump\u2019s longtime teleprompter operator had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/16\/trump-teleprompter-operator-kalshi-bets\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">been placed on administrative leave<\/a>, following allegations he had placed bets of nearly $100,000 on the prediction market about what the president would say. A new operator was assigned to the Thursday evening speech, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump spoke to an audience, with roughly 55 people gathered in the East Room, including the vice-president, JD Vance, and several other cabinet secretaries and White House officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">During the evening address, Trump appeared at times to have difficulty following the syntax of the written speech. He frequently adopted the sarcastic tone characteristic of his stump speeches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Several networks, including NBC, ABC and CNN, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/16\/us-tv-networks-trump-speech\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">declined to air the speech<\/a> on their main broadcast networks, citing concerns that the content could be politically partisan or inflammatory. The move drew rebukes from Trump, who called for their broadcast licenses to be revoked. All three stations gave live coverage on their streaming services, and some ABC affiliates chose to air the speech.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Television networks are not legally obliged to grant a president\u2019s request to air a speech live. Biden and Barack Obama had requests for White House speeches to be broadcast live refused during their presidencies.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"6effc7b5-91fc-4a10-9b7e-12052fc58a86\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-27 | 27\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/16\/us-tv-networks-trump-speech\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">US TV networks split on broadcasting Trump\u2019s election-focused speech<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Even before Trump spoke, a succession of Democrats issued denunciations in the expectation that he would intensify his accusations about the 2020 election. Several said his focus on the past masked a more forward-looking agenda: to interfere in November\u2019s congressional midterm elections, when Democrats will attempt to take control of the House of Representative and the Senate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Leading the counterattack was Kamala Harris, the former vice-president and the defeated Democratic candidate in the 2024 presidential election, who \u2013 less than 20 minutes before Trump was due to speak \u2013 accused him of planning \u201cto peddle lies and conspiracy theories\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cHere is what you need to know: The 2020 election was not stolen; we won and he lost,\u201d she<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/kamalaharris\/status\/2077916913250746679?s=51\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> wrote<\/a> on social media. \u201cThe Save Act is voter suppression. It is part of a larger agenda of conservatives trying to steal power from the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">China has rejected Trump\u2019s claims that it interfered in the 2020 US presidential election. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington told CNN: \u201cChina has all along adhered to the principle of non-interference in others\u2019 internal affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump\u2019s remarks were at odds with the conciliatory tone he has struck with Beijing in recent months, since he travelled to China to meet Xi Jinping in May. The Chinese president has been invited to Washington in September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A 2021 US intelligence community assessment concluded that no foreign actor, including China, attempted to alter any technical aspect of the 2020 election voting process. The report said that while Russia had conducted influence operations aimed at denigrating Biden\u2019s campaign, China did not deploy any interference efforts intended to change the outcome of the election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">US intelligence assessed that China did not see either a Trump or a Biden victory as advantageous to Beijing and it was therefore not worth the risk of damaging the US-China relationship with interference efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">China has long denied claims by western governments, including the UK, that it has meddled in the politics of other countries. But several European countries have raised the alarm about Chinese spying operations in their legislatures. Last year a former parliamentary aide for Germany\u2019s far-right Alternative f\u00fcr Deutschland party was convicted of spying for China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><em>Additional reporting by Amy Hawkins in Beijing<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-voting-rights\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US voting rights<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-midterm-elections-2026\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US midterm elections 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/china\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">China<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20makes%20unverified%20claims%20of%20China%20%E2%80%98election%20meddling%E2%80%99%20as%20critics%20fear%20ploy%20to%20challenge%20midterm%20results&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/16\/trump-tv-address-thursday?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F16%2Ftrump-tv-address-thursday&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jul\/16\/trump-tv-address-thursday\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC on Thursday. Photograph: Saul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}