President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he had ordered the declassification of a collection of documents that he claims expose vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems, election fraud and alleged Chinese interference.
During a primetime address lasting more than 20 minutes, Trump also directed the Department of Justice to pursue prosecutions against individuals believed to have been involved in any wrongdoing revealed by the documents.
“America is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed because no country can be great without fair and honest elections,” Trump said. “You have to trust your country.”
“If there can be no trust, there can be no greatness, and that’s very simple: no trust, no greatness,” he added.
Despite Trump’s allegations, he did not present specific evidence during the address showing that votes were changed or that the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was altered.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was “stolen” or “rigged,” allegations that have been widely disputed and rejected by election officials and courts.
A central focus of the president’s address was his renewed push for Congress to approve the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election reform proposal.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly indicated that the legislation does not currently have enough Republican support to pass the Senate.
Trump said the newly declassified material includes what he described as “critical intelligence” revealing significant weaknesses in the nation’s election infrastructure.
According to the president, the documents address several areas of concern, including allegations that China compromised election-related data during the 2020 election and that efforts were made to minimize the extent of Beijing’s activities.
The president did not provide detailed evidence supporting those allegations during his speech, leaving questions about what the newly declassified documents contain and whether they substantiate his broader claims about election interference.
