Trump alleges meddling by China and ‘deep state’ cover-up in 2020 election

Donald Trump used a primetime TV address to the nation to claim “sinister” meddling by China and a “deep state” cover-up over his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden as he pressed demands for stricter voting rules ahead of key elections in November.

Making the sweeping allegations during his 25-minute speech, the US president said he had declassified intelligence, which revealed “shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure”.

But critics have accused Trump of trying to sow confusion and spread misinformation in the run-up to November’s midterm elections, which could see Republicans lose control of one or both houses of Congress.

A previous intelligence assessment found no evidence that foreign interference had impacted the outcome of the 2020 presidential race, which he lost to Biden.

Trump has long claimed the election was stolen from him, despite dozens of court cases finding no proof of widespread fraud.

He did not raise doubts about his election wins in 2016 or 2024.

The Republican president has continued to complain about the conduct of polls and casting doubt on their outcomes when he or his party does not win.

Even when his endorsed candidate for California governor, Steve Hilton, a former top aide to David Cameron, progressed in the contest last month, Trump insisted this was only because of pressure he brought to bear on “cheating dogs” with unfounded accusations the vote was “rigged”.

Major television networks ABC and NBC, along with CNN, did not broadcast Trump’s address on their main channels, leading the president to claim they were involved in a “plot” and should lose their licences.

Trump said: “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.

“Unfortunately, the system we have today falls catastrophically short of that standard.”

He added: “China and other countries have been trying to meddle in our elections. Evidence of fraud has been buried.”

The president claimed that “members of the deep state” had worked to “actively suppress and downplay information about the extent of China’s sinister election meddling”.

He said action was being taken to ensure “we can never watch a stolen election again”.

Trump used his speech to push for Congress to approve the stalled Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or Save America Act.

This would require photo ID to vote and proof of US citizenship to register, while forcing states to share voter registration information with the federal government.

It would also introduce new rules for people wanting a postal vote.

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Supporters argue the legislation would improve electoral integrity, while opponents warn the documentation requirements risked denying millions of eligible Americans the vote.

However, given the tight timescale, some on Capitol Hill say there is no way to implement the bill in time for the midterms.

Responding to the speech, congressman Joseph Morelle of New York, the senior Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which provides oversight of federal voting issues and elections, told US TV: “This is a pretext for the president, I think, calling into dispute the 2026 elections.”

He added: “This is a fundamental effort to weaken the foundation of our democracy.”

Democrat senator Mark Warner, who is vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, branded Trump’s claims about China as “totally bogus”.

He said: “The fact is our intelligence agencies unanimously agreed that China did not even try to change a single vote in the 2020 election.”