What Trump got wrong in speech about China and 220 million voter files
A USA Today review of declassified documents indicates that President Trump's claims regarding China's 'illicit acquisition of 220 million voter files' are not supported by the evidence. The documents suggest China's efforts were focused on influence and data gathering rather than direct election interference.
Why it matters
This fact-check highlights the discrepancy between political rhetoric regarding election security and the findings of intelligence agencies.
Hear this story WASHINGTON – Among President Donald Trump ’s many assertions about election insecurity in his July 16 nationwide address, perhaps none was more alarming than his accusation that China carried out the "largest compromise of election data in history" through its "illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files."
Not true, according to the documents the White House released alongside Trump's address.
The assertion that Beijing compromised the 2020 election was a centerpiece of the president’s broader claim that China “fought like hell not to have a Donald Trump win” – and engineered his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden by leveraging “all domestic and foreign elements that were opposed to the U.S. president.”
The information China acquired, Trump said, included names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences and other "sensitive" data needed to register to vote.
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