Trump says China stole 220 million voter files, declassifies election security intelligence

President Donald Trump used an evening address to the nation on July 16 to announce the declassification of intelligence he said reveals vulnerabilities in U.S. election infrastructure, and he renewed his call for Congress to pass legislation requiring photo voter identification and proof of citizenship nationwide.

The documents, compiled by a White House "government transparency task force" and the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, will be posted on the White House website. 

"Our purpose in disclosing this information is not to weaken confidence in elections," he said, "but to earn the confidence by confronting vulnerabilities and correcting them."

The documents, according to Trump, cover five areas. He said Chinese intelligence services carried out the “largest compromise of election data in history” beginning in the 2020 election cycle, acquiring 220 million U.S. voter files containing names, addresses, and party affiliations. He called it "a security nightmare."

Trump said the second set of documents shows that U.S. intelligence officials suppressed information about the Chinese operation from him and from Congress, saying those responsible instead "kept the information secret and hidden" and, when asked, maintained that it was "the most secure election in the history of our country." 

He cited a CIA report finding that, in mid-2018, the Chinese Communist Party worked to mobilize "domestic and foreign elements" opposed to him "in an effort to reduce" his vote totals "and make him resign or prevent his reelection."

A third category, Trump said, shows U.S. officials have long known that voting machines and ballot-counting systems are vulnerable to hacking by Russia, China, North Korea, and nonstate groups, citing intelligence assessments spanning January 2020 to June 2026 that found adversaries "have the capability to compromise" U.S. election infrastructure. 

He also cited CIA reporting alleging that Venezuela's government digitally altered vote totals in a way that would evade detection even in an audit.

A fourth set includes FBI files on a 2020 raid by Michigan State Police on a Democratic voter-registration operation, Trump said. He said canvassers told agents they had signed other people's names to registration forms and were paid with gift cards based on the number of registrations they submitted.

Trump said a Department of Homeland Security review of state voter and public records identified about 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections, a figure he said is likely higher because Democratic-led states declined to share their voter files. "No one can possibly defend the voter system," he said. 

Trump said he has directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Justice Department, the FBI, and the CIA to investigate the alleged cover-up, remove officials involved, and pursue criminal charges, and he asked the FBI director to work with the Justice Department to prosecute those responsible for the Michigan case. The secretary of homeland security is scheduled to brief reporters July 17 on the department's findings regarding voting system vulnerabilities. 

He renewed his call for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show photo identification and provide proof of citizenship. The legislation would largely eliminate mail-in ballots except for voters who are ill, disabled, deployed in the military, or traveling. Passing the bill should be simple, Trump said, adding that "the only reason you wouldn't do it is that you want to cheat."

"No country can be great without fair and honest elections," Trump said.

Trump confirmed NBC and ABC declined to air the address. He closed by urging Americans to contact their members of Congress and press for passage of the election bill "without delay,” saying, "Together we will restore faith and confidence in our country."