Former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that China had stolen the voter registration data of 220 million Americans. Trump made the revelation during a primetime speech, framing it as a significant election security threat.
Reports indicate that some U.S. government officials were aware as early as 2020 that China had accessed at least some voter registration data. This data reportedly included names, addresses, party affiliations, and Social Security numbers, though officials did not inform Trump before the 2020 election.
While previous reports have confirmed Beijing's access to U.S. voter registration data, an intelligence report declassified in 2022 noted that "Chinese officials analyzed multiple U.S. states' election voter registration data." The exact number of affected Americans had not been previously disclosed.
Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) had previewed Trump's speech, stating it would address election security and China, and encouraged public tuning. He described the address as potentially the most significant Oval Office speech since the Cuban Missile Crisis, asserting that "the time for complacency with China is over."
Trump has consistently alleged that widespread voter fraud impacted his 2020 election loss, although evidence to support claims of fraud on a scale sufficient to alter the outcome has not been presented. His criticisms have focused on mail-in ballots, voting machines, and vote-counting delays.
During his presidency, Trump signed executive orders aimed at enhancing election security and tightening absentee ballot rules. He also directed law enforcement and intelligence agencies to re-examine claims regarding vote collection and tabulation in 2020, particularly in Georgia. Earlier this year, he oversaw an FBI search of an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, which yielded over 600 boxes of 2020 ballots.
More recently, Trump has voiced concerns about the primary election results in California, citing lengthy vote-counting processes. He described the Los Angeles mayoral primary as "rigged" and "crooked" after a candidate's standing changed days after election night.
The former president's speech occurs as the Save America Act, an election security bill he supports, faces legislative hurdles. The bill, which proposes requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration and other reforms, has been hindered by Democratic filibusters and some Republican reservations in the Senate.
Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, criticized Trump for using the speech to revisit the 2020 election results rather than focusing on future issues. Schumer suggested Trump's focus on past elections stemmed from concerns about his 2026 prospects and urged him to address economic issues and administrative concerns instead.